When Worlds Collide
by KakashiKrazed
Summary: What might happen if Kakashi and Madara's Mangekyo techniques collide? One thing was for certain, Kakashi would have never expected to be thrown into a world where archaeologists and false gods would hold his life in the balance.Can Kakashi make it home?
1. Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 1

Endings and Beginnings

Kakashi Hatake stood with his back pressed against a large rock wall. The sweat was rolling down his neck, along with more than a bit of his own blood. His breathing was far more labored than he was willing to admit, and his muscles burned from overuse. Still, considering he'd been officially dead less than four months earlier, thanks to his run-in with Pein, he couldn't help but be happy he'd lasted this long against the likes of Madara Uchiha.

All around him were the handful of Konoha shinobi and their allies who had joined him in what was supposed to be the final battle of this long and drawn out war. That they had managed to stay alive this long was a testament to all of their abilities, and Kakashi was determined to find some way to keep them from joining the dozens of other names that would need to be carved into the Memorial Stone once this battle was finished. The problem was, he had absolutely no idea how he might manage it. It wasn't like he'd be able to convince Madara to call a truce, and quite honestly, even if the Uchiha _did_ agree, Kakashi knew that the man's promise meant nothing.

Still, one quick look at the haggard faces of those remaining made it clear he needed to do something soon, or they'd all be dead. Many of those with him were no strangers to the inherent risks of war. In fact, more than a few of them had been Kakashi's enemy during the Third Great Shinobi War. But there were still more that had grown up in the relative peace that had existed after that war, and although Kakashi knew he wouldn't be able to keep all of this new generation safe, he'd do his best to at least keep those in his own troop alive...even at the cost of his own life.

At the moment, Lee was doing his best to keep Madara's remaining lackeys from getting too close to where an obviously exhausted Sakura was trying to keep Gai from bleeding out. Her pink hair was dyed red in more than one place, and Kakashi pushed down the sudden urge to verify whether it was her own blood or that of her enemy. Of course, he was also struggling with a similar fear for his long-time friend who was lying motionless under his former student's skilled hands. He couldn't imagine a Konoha without the boisterous 'Green Beast' shouting in its streets about the 'Joys of Youth' or whatever ridiculous challenge was next on his long list.

Kakashi forced himself to stop that line of thought and turned his attention to the man who was propped against the rock wall next to him. It had been a stroke of luck that he and his troop had stumbled across where Tenzou was being used to help create Madara's half man-half plant army, and the liberation of his one-time underling was the main reason his group had caught the attention of Madara in the first place. But now, by the glazed look in Tenzou's eyes, and the blood flowing freely down his forehead, it was clear to Kakashi that his friend would not be able to lend any aid in these final moments.

Kakashi's attention shifted to where Madara was lowering Sasuke Uchiha's lifeless body to the ground. The gaping hole in the youngest Uchiha's chest lay testament to the fact that it had been Kakashi who had snuffed out the light in those stolen eyes. Taking Sasuke's life had been one of the most difficult decisions Kakashi had ever made...especially with Sakura there to witness her one-time teammate's final moments. But he couldn't justify letting the young man live after Madara had made it clear that he and the only other remaining Uchiha were focused on nothing less than wiping out everything Kakashi had fought his entire life to protect.

And so he had worked his way through the deadly ranks of Madara's army until he'd found the raven-haired Sasuke about to run his lightning-enhanced blade through the body of one of Konoha's allies. Kakashi had pushed all his personal feelings deep within him and focused only on one thing – pushing his hand through his enemy's chest and destroying Madara Uchiha's bid to take over the Five Great Countries.

Still, when he'd actually managed to hit his mark and he had felt the knuckles of his right hand scrape against Sasuke's shattered ribs on their way toward the heart they'd protected, Kakashi was hit with the memories of the countless hours he'd spent teaching the boy so many things. But he'd pushed those thoughts down with a low growl and finished the task he'd assigned to himself, in truth, the moment it had become clear Sasuke would never return to Konoha.

A stunned silence, as thick and smothering as a blanket, had settled on the battlefield at the soft gasp that had left Sasuke's lips when Kakashi pulled his arm back out of the young man's chest. It had been followed almost immediately by the enraged cry of Madara as the man had watched his legacy slowly sink to its knees and begin to topple to the side. While Kakashi retrieved his comrade and jumped back to where the others were, Madara had appeared at Sasuke's side and caught the falling body with great care.

The short respite that was caused while Madara muttered quietly and ran his gloved hands through Sasuke's dark hair was all Kakashi had to formulate some sort of plan. And now that Madara was finished with whatever final words he'd whispered to his dead relative, it was clear Kakashi's time was indeed up. No one present could deny the wave of intense rage that surged from the last Uchiha, just as no one could miss the fact that it was focused entirely on Kakashi Hatake.

With a tired sigh, Kakashi recognized he only had one shot at what he hoped would be enough to end this battle once and for all. He'd have to time this just right if there'd be any hope of keeping those around him safe, and for just that reason, he pushed himself away from the rock wall and started to close the distance between himself and Madara. While he moved, he fed his waning chakra into his sharingan eye to ready himself for this final act. Meanwhile, he could sense Madara was already regaining his focus and was preparing to match Kakashi move for move.

* * *

Sakura looked up from where Gai-sensei was finally stabilized to see her former sensei calmly heading toward where Madara was seeping the most deadly killing-intent she had ever witnessed. A quick glance around her showed every eye on the battlefield was trained on what was unfolding. The two men truly showed those watching just what it meant to be an elite shinobi, as their moves blended together into a deadly ballet. Blows were thrown and blocked with a look of ease that was as far off the mark as it could be. Sakura could see it in each man's steps that, in reality, Kakashi and Madara were becoming hard-pressed to keep the flow from faltering, and at nearly the exact same moment, the two pushed apart. In less than a second, they each unleashed what was surely meant to be the final blow against their opponent.

Sakura felt her heart clench when she saw her sensei's sharingan eye morph into the tell-tale pinwheel design that she knew meant he'd activated his Mangekyo dojutsu. While a glance at Madara's red and black eye confirmed what she'd already feared – that the man had triggered his own dojutsu as well. What happened next would be something that Sakura doubted she'd ever be able to come to terms with. Each man's body became rigid a moment before the air around them started to twirl in on itself. In less than a minute, there was a strange sensation of the air around them being pushed and pulled all in the same instant. A moment later and there was a blinding blue-white light that swelled out in a sphere around where Kakashi-sensei and Madara were still standing. The air around her felt thick in her lungs, and just when she felt she'd pass out from the lack of oxygen, the sphere of light disappeared and the air instantly cleared.

Sakura stared at the area where there was now a good-sized crater still sparking with that strange blue-white energy. Nothing was left to show that Madara Uchiha had been there, or the lifeless body of Sasuke. But what Sakura chose to focus on in a moment of pure grief was the fact that there was no sign of her sensei, either. Kakashi Hatake had made the ultimate sacrifice for Konoha and the Alliance and had taken out the leader of the enemy force by offering up his own life.

A sob crept up her throat, but Sakura bit back on the urge to break down in tears, and she channeled her grief into something that her former sensei would have surely appreciated. Sakura clenched her fists and threw herself into the battlefield, choosing to vent her frustration and grief by ridding the world of every last one of the enemy that was foolish enough to get anywhere near her or her comrades. By the end of the battle, the Alliance had proven the victors, but not a single cheer went up as they all realized the tremendous loss they had been witness to that day. Sakura hung her head and offered up a small prayer that her sensei might at last find peace in the afterlife.

* * *

The far too familiar sound and flash of a Zat-gun was Daniel's first hint that the mission had gone terribly wrong. That, and the fact that he'd just finished translating a series of hieroglyphs that made it crystal clear that Star Gate Command never should have set foot on this planet to start with. When the initial video feed came back, and Daniel had mentioned that the carvings reminded him of some he'd discovered back on Abydos that had marked out a breeding ground for Goa'uld parasites, he'd been ignored outright. Of course that may have had something to do with the fact the M.A.L.P.'s readings went off the scale for the potential presence of naqahdah. Needless to say, the mission was given a go. Daniel had tried to stress his uneasiness about the carvings as they met in the embarkation room, but he'd been overruled by the commanding officer of SG-4...who went out of her way to remind Daniel that he could always skip the off-world mission if he wanted.

Right at the moment, Daniel really wished he hadn't turned down Jack's offer to spend a week at the lake to fish after all. Because then, instead of witnessing the sergeant who'd been assigned to watch over him fall to the ground after being Zatted – twice, he'd be sitting on Jack's well-worn couch, with a cold beer in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, arguing over something ridiculous like how many times Teal'c had ever cracked a joke.

But no, Daniel just _had_ to decide he wanted some extra off-world experience to bring him back up to par with the rest of SG-1 since his appendix mishap. Thinking back, he really should have taken it as one giant cosmic hint when his backpack strap ripped loose in the Embarkation Room. Or maybe when they'd discovered the fresh corpse a few hundred feet away from the Star-Gate. But every effort the Powers-That-Be used to get through his thick skull had been dutifully ignored, and now he was trying to dodge out of the way of incoming shots from Zats and the occasional staff-weapon blast – a task made all the more difficult with the approaching darkness of night.

A sharp curse from to his left caught his attention, and when Daniel gazed toward where he'd heard the sound he almost wished he hadn't. In the glow of the camp lanterns which were scattered around the perimeter, the Major who was in charge of this little trip was kneeling on the ground, holding her hands against the massive injury that could only have been made by a staff-weapon. The woman's green eyes were wide with a mix of disbelief and pain, and when a second blast came, she wasn't even aware enough to dodge it. Daniel screamed out when the blast of energy erased half her face, knocking her backward and onto the ground.

That scream alerted the remaining enemy Jaffa of his presence, and Daniel tried his best to prepare himself for the death blow that was sure to come next. For one brief moment, he actually found peace in the thought of death, as it meant he might be reunited with his wife Sha're at last. But that moment was swiftly pushed aside when he heard one of the Jaffa shouting orders to those around him.

"Jaffa! Kree! Daniel Jackson must not be severely damaged."

A small part of his mind was happy at that thought, but a larger part knew that if the Jaffa caught him it would likely lead to meeting up with yet another power-hungry, egomaniac of a Goa'uld who would be Hell-bent on trying to wrest information out of him about one thing or another. Which was most definitely something he wanted to avoid at all costs. But, as a group of four Jaffa started to close in with their Zat-guns pointed straight at him, Daniel could already tell he wouldn't stand a chance against them. And, as two more Jaffa joined the group dragging the struggling form of Lt. Anderson between them, he knew that the fight was over.

Daniel could almost feel the fear rolling off Anderson. The poor kid was brand new to the SGC, and this was his very first mission off-world. This was only supposed to be the initial research leg of the mission. It was almost never considered to be dangerous...especially when the team was ordered to check in with the SGC every hour.

Daniel tried to remind himself that these kind of things could happen to anyone, on any of the various off-world missions, but somehow that thought didn't exactly make him feel any better at the moment. Especially when Anderson was thrown onto the ground directly in front of him. The young man had tears in his dark brown eyes, and it looked like he'd been on the receiving end of at least one Jaffa's gloved fist, based on the bruises that were already beginning to color along his cheek and jaw.

"The boy will live if you do not resist us, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel sighed. Just once he wanted the whole life and death card to be placed with someone else. But, as usual, he'd been dealt the crap hand, and now Lt. Anderson's life was what was at stake. He lowered his head in defeat.

"Fine."

The next thing he knew, Daniel was being pulled to his feet, and his radio and handgun were confiscated. Whoever these Jaffa were loyal to, they had obviously learned from other Goa'uld's mistakes. His arms were placed into thick iron cuffs, and a quick turn of his head made it clear the young Lieutenant was being treated in a similar fashion. A moment later and the two of them were being marched back in the direction of the Dial Home Device and the Star-Gate. All Daniel could hope for was that General Hammond would send a search team after him once SG-4's scheduled contact time came and went without word from them. But they weren't supposed to reach out to the SGC for another forty minutes, and as Daniel knew – better than most – forty minutes could likely put him worlds away with no sign left behind.

It was while Daniel was running these thoughts through his mind that he heard a scuffle behind him. He turned his head to see what was happening, just in time to see Lieutenant Anderson's bid for freedom. The young soldier had somehow managed to break free of his Jaffa guard and was running off the path and toward the ruins leading away from the gate. For a brief moment, Daniel thought the kid might make it. But when the sound of a staff-blast discharging was swiftly followed by an ear-shattering scream, and then silence, Daniel knew the young man's bid for freedom was over.

Daniel's pulse raced, and his heart clenched painfully, at the thought of another member of SG-4 lying dead on this planet. He only hoped that General Hammond would send the recovery team soon so that Anderson, and the others, might be returned to the SGC in one piece before the indigenous wildlife of the planet found them.

The jab against his back by the business end of a staff weapon was enough to remind Daniel that this adventure was far from over. He moved forward with the clear understanding that these particular Jaffa had no problem shooting first and asking questions later, and he doubted that he'd be completely immune to any number of injuries if he didn't do precisely what they wanted from this point forward. After all, their bargaining chip for his cooperation was dead, and that only left the promise of pain and injury to keep him in check. And personally, Daniel had really had enough of those options in his life, so he continued to move back toward the DHD, hopeful that he'd discover some way to at least let the SG teams that he knew would follow know where he was being taken. Of course, this all depended on whatever Goa'uld he was brought before not wanting to kill him on sight. Somehow, that thought did nothing to boost Daniel's morale.

* * *

Kakashi had known there was a high risk of being caught within Madara's sharingan technique when his last minute plan was hatched. He'd known there was also an equal chance he'd wind up dead for his efforts. But death had never particularly scared him, and since he'd actually already experienced the first stages of death such a short time ago, he already knew what to expect.

What he was experiencing at the moment, however, was nothing at all like what he'd gone through the last time he'd used his sharingan in such a manner. No, instead of the sensation of floating through to the afterlife, at the moment Kakashi was being tossed about violently within what could only be described as a tunnel of blue-white energy. His sense of direction was of no use to him as he was tumbled like a pebble in a fast-flowing river. He was bounced off the wall for at least the twentieth time since this bizarre ride had started, and he had come to the conclusion that if this did end with him in the afterlife again, he doubted it would be as pleasant as it was the last time.

Just when he was starting to think that perhaps he'd spend all of eternity being tossed about like this, he heard a loud whooshing sound and felt his body being propelled out of the tunnel of light head over heels. He tried to twist his body around to limit any damage when, and if, he managed to hit the ground, but there was still the unnerving sound of his right shoulder wrenching out of its socket when the hard ground seemed to rise up to meet him. A shock of pain surged through his body and caused his breath to catch in his throat, but that breath was knocked loose again when felt the forward momentum of his body halted by a solid object. Unfortunately, the happy fact he had stopped sliding across the ground was somewhat lessened when he felt, and heard, his ribs cracking against the immovable object he'd landed against.

Kakashi pushed aside his discomfort and went about cataloging everything he could about wherever it was that he'd currently found himself. He hadn't experienced any pain at all when he'd died the last time, so the fact that he was in such excruciating agony was his first clue that perhaps he'd escaped death's clutches once more. Of course, that left him with the problem that he had absolutely no idea where he had landed. At the moment there was an eerie blue-white light casting his immediate area into a disturbing series of shadows. He tipped his head up toward where that light was coming from, and saw a shimmering pool of liquid held within a stone ring that had symbols carved into its circumference. Kakashi had never seen such a jutsu before, and if he had the slightest amount of chakra left, he would have been sorely tempted to open his sharingan and analyze it. But as it turned out, even if he'd had the chakra, there simply wasn't enough time. A moment after Kakashi had taken in the silent beauty of that ring of liquid, it had simply disappeared, casting the area around him into a thick darkness, which was a bit disconcerting considering it had been noon when he'd left the battlefield behind.

Thoughts of the battlefield led Kakashi to spare a moment to worry for his friends and comrades. When he'd left them, Gai's life was hanging in the balance and there were still far too many of Madara's half plant creations wandering around for his liking. Still, he knew those left behind were more than capable of taking care of themselves now that he'd managed to take Madara out of the equation. And that was indeed one thing that he was sure of at the moment...Madara Uchiha had been caught up in Kakashi's Mangekyo technique moments before he'd found himself pulled into whatever the hell it was that had delivered him to this very spot.

Now all he had to do was figure out where he was in relation to Konoha, and find some way to get back home, preferably _before_ they took it upon themselves to add his name to the memorial stone. That thought firmly in mind, Kakashi took as deep a breath as his broken ribs would allow him. After all, he knew that each country carried its own unique scents, and identifying those scents would be the first step in finding his way home.

Kakashi frowned. "This can't be right."

He yanked his nose free of his trademark mask and took another, deeper breath of his surroundings, cringing at the pain that coursed through his ribcage. His frown deepened. He had never encountered any of the scents he was taking in before. How was that even possible? He'd set foot on nearly every inch of all of the Five Great Countries, and every small township in between them, over the course of his long shinobi career. He'd made it a point to analyze and categorize every area's unique scents. But here, in this place, he was experiencing odors he couldn't even start to place. For the first time in decades, Kakashi felt unsure of what to do next.

A whisper of voices floated at the edge of Kakashi's hearing and he was pulled back into focus. Those voices spoke in a language he'd never heard before, and his mind helpfully supplied that perhaps he'd ended up somewhere far outside of the Five Great Countries. The tone of at least three of the voices made it clear that, whoever these people were, they sounded quite unpleasant. That thought was confirmed when something that sounding suspiciously like an exploding tag went off, followed swiftly by a shout of pain.

Kakashi hastily pulled his mask back into position and scanned the immediate area to see if there was anything he could use to hide his presence from those who were approaching. Unfortunately the closest cover seemed to be in the direction of the voices, and in his current beaten and weary condition, he doubted he'd make it before being spotted. So instead he stayed where he was, with his back pressed firmly to the object he'd slid into earlier. That object had a wide stone top and thick pedestal bottom that hopefully would block his presence from those approaching.

Before Kakashi could spare another thought about it, a whirring sound drew his attention back to the stone ring. His eye widened when he saw an inner portion of that ring begin to spin on an unseen track and random symbols around it began to glow with a light all their own. His heart-rate sped up when he saw a spire of blue-white liquid rush out of the ring in a spear headed straight for him. Just when he'd thought he'd need to dodge to one side or the other, it seemed to be sucked back in where it settled into a shimmering pool, much as he'd seen after his own abrupt arrival to this place.

The footsteps of those approaching grew louder, and Kakashi pulled his legs in as close as he could to his body in an attempt to limit the chances that those now standing on the other side of his hiding place might see him. He bit back on a groan of pain when he inadvertently jostled his dislocated shoulder. A moment later and Kakashi watched someone being thrown down onto the ground just to the side of where he was hiding. It was a man who seemed to be close to Kakashi's age, with light brown hair that fell in an unkempt wave over wire-rimmed glasses. His clothes held the appearance of a uniform, but nothing about how the man acted made Kakashi think he was a soldier.

The man's head turned toward him, and for the briefest moment Kakashi saw fear flash through eyes that were a clear blue. It didn't seem to be fear for his own situation though. Rather, this unknown man seemed afraid for Kakashi. Before Kakashi had a chance to wonder at this stranger's reaction, a hand reached down and threaded its fingers into the man's hair and forcefully yanked him into a kneeling position. The action caused a sharp hiss of pain to escape the man's lips, but he never so much as glanced over to where Kakashi was still sitting, leaving the man's captors oblivious to his presence.

Of course, his concern over discovery from those people fell to the side when a ripple disturbed the surface of the stone circle. Kakashi found himself watching as four heavily armored soldiers stepped calmly out of the liquid and immediately spotted him. All four of them leveled long pole-arms at him, and the end of each weapon slid open with a noticeable hiss of electricity. Kakashi instantly reached for his own weapons, only to find that his pouches and kunai holster were nowhere to be found. His mind went back to the violent journey through the tunnel of light and he knew that it was likely why he found himself bereft of weapons now.

One look into the eyes of the men holding the weapons made it clear they'd have no problem dispatching him if he made any move. So Kakashi stayed where he was, staring back into their dark eyes and wondering what new hell he'd fallen into now. When two of the soldiers who'd brought that other man to the stone circle moved over to where he was sitting, Kakashi wondered why, just once, he couldn't avoid more pain. But pain was exactly what was in store, as he was pulled roughly to his feet. A sharp hiss escaped his masked mouth as the unknown soldiers forced him to his knees to the left of the other man, digging their fingers into Kakashi's dislocated shoulder in the process.

Whispered words from that other prisoner caught Kakashi's attention, but he'd never heard the language being spoken before. The look on the man's face, however, made it clear that he was concerned for him. Kakashi took a slow breath and smiled behind his mask.

"Do not worry about me. I will survive."

A look of recognition lit the man's eyes behind his glasses and Kakashi wondered at the reaction. Had this man understood him? But before he could ponder it farther, another ripple in the film across the stone circle announced the arrival of more people. Two additional heavily armored men stepped through, followed immediately by another man. That man wore a series of sleeveless dark red robes with gold threads running in a serpentine pattern along the edge of every layer. His hair was the color of dark ink, and was pulled back to flow over the high collar of his outer robe. Tanned skin emphasized every muscle in his arms as he walked down to stand in front of Kakashi and the other kneeling man.

By the way this final entrant moved and was dressed, it was clear to Kakashi that this was the one in charge. As such, his full attention was on the dark-haired man who was turning his head to stare down at where the other man was still held firmly in the grasp of more of the armored soldiers. As Kakashi watched, he noticed how that other man's expression had changed from that of concern, to a look absolute disgust.

When the man standing before them spoke, Kakashi couldn't help but frown behind his mask. The words were still foreign to his ears, again making him wonder about just where he'd ended up. As he continued to listen to those unfamiliar words, the man next to him used that same language to respond. By the snarl of the robed man's lips, it was evident that whatever had been said to him had not been what he'd wanted to hear. A moment later and Kakashi was witness to the man kneeling beside him being subjected to some sort of punishment. The robed man held his palm out, and Kakashi tensed as a strange gold and jeweled device emitted some sort of energy that was currently causing the younger man to struggle in obvious pain.

Something in the grin of malice on the robed man's lips reminded Kakashi all too much of Madara Uchiha, and he felt a bubbling rage surge up from within him. How was it possible that he'd rid the world of one megalomaniac only to discover another one less than an hour later? A sharp cry of pain came from the man beside him and something within Kakashi snapped. From one moment to the next, he had twisted free of the powerful hands holding him down, and had launched himself at the villain torturing the helpless man.

A single thought rolled through his mind and he let it escape his lips in a growl as he tackled the robed man to the ground.

"No more!"

* * *

One moment Daniel was experiencing the far-too-familiar sensation of his brain frying from the inside out, and the next second he was watching in shock as the Goa'uld was tackled to the ground by the man who, moments before, had been kneeling by his side. He'd moved so fast that the snake hadn't had time to activate his personal shield, and as such, was now promising to kill the stranger slowly for daring to touch him. A moment later, and Daniel couldn't help but cringe in empathy as his savior was sent sailing across the clearing by a powerful jolt from the hand device.

The man slid to a stop in front of two of the Jaffa, and as they pulled him to his feet another hiss of pain escaped from lips that were hidden from view by what appeared to be a cloth mask. Daniel had to keep from laughing out loud when the man spoke in a language that was remarkably close to Earth's Japanese – a language he'd been speaking fluently since he was eight..

"_If that's the best you can do it's no wonder you need so many guards."_

The Goa'uld approached the man and Daniel saw the bastard's eyes glow in that telltale sign that meant nothing good for anyone he was angry with. And he was pretty sure that anger was aimed solely at the silver-haired man. What worried Daniel at the moment was that he actually had no idea just who this Goa'uld was. The symbol sprawled across the Jaffa's foreheads wasn't one he was familiar with, although it did look vaguely Egyptian in origin. Which, if history proved anything, meant this Goa'uld would lean toward God complexes and violence. Great. He knew he should have waited for SG-1 before going off-world. But, no, he just _had_ to go and see the ruins for himself. Maybe Jack was right. Maybe he really did have a suicidal streak.

The sound of skin on skin brought him out of his thoughts, and he watched with wide eyes as the unknown stranger actually laughed in the Goa'uld's face as though the slap hadn't hurt him at all. The Goa'uld's eyes flashed once more and Daniel watched as silver hair was firmly gripped in one of the Jaffa's fists. When the head was pulled back, Daniel saw that only one eye was visible, while the other had some sort of headband tilted over it, with a silver plate attached in the center.

The Goa'uld's voice resonated through the clearing. "You will pay for your insolence, dog!"

Again a chuckle came from the man's lips, this time followed by words. _"I'm not sure what the hell you just said, but you sounded pissed off."_

Daniel had to choke back a laugh of his own, but he wasn't quite successful enough to avoid having the Goa'uld notice his reaction. The bastard turned his glowing eyes on him and Daniel had a bad feeling about what might happen next.

The Goa'uld motioned one hand toward him. "Jaffa! Kree!"

He was pulled to his feet and dragged over to where the others were waiting. The Goa'uld narrowed his eyes and placed one hand around Daniel's neck, applying just enough pressure to make it uncomfortable.

"You know what this dog said. You will translate."

Daniel frowned. The last thing he wanted to do was help a Goa'uld interrogate anyone. "I don't think I can."

The fingers around his throat tightened significantly, and the eyes staring at him flashed once more. "I know of you, Daniel Jackson. You enjoy taking the role of martyr, so I will not threaten your own worthless life."

The fingers released, leaving Daniel gasping for air. Then the Goa'uld switched his attention to the unfortunate stranger. He raised his other hand and revealed the hand device, moving it into position above where the headband was. The other hand lifted and pulled that headband loose, revealing a long scar running from above the man's left eyebrow, through his eyelid, and ending somewhere below the mask. A look of pure hatred shone in the man's un-scarred eye as the metal plate hit the stones on the ground.

"Tell him he has displeased his God by wearing another's symbol."

Daniel blinked in confusion. "What?"

The Goa'uld lips pulled back in an evil grin. "Or don't tell him, and watch him suffer for your stubborn silence."

The hand device activated, and the silver-haired man's back arched in response to the excruciating waves of pain that Daniel was all too familiar with. "Stop it! He doesn't understand why you're doing that!"

The device was deactivated a moment later, and the prisoner's head sank down to his chest. The Goa'uld turned toward Daniel with a satisfied smirk. "Tell him."

Daniel furrowed his brow in frustration, but did what he'd been told to do, calling on his memories of many summers spent in Japan with his parents so long ago to find just the right words.

"_Forgive me, but this piece of dung wanted me to explain why he took your headband."_

The silver-haired man's head lifted until he was glancing up at Daniel through a curtain of silver bangs. His visible eye held the edge of pain in it. _"I see. So he cannot understand my words any more than I understand his. Thank you for that knowledge."_

Daniel resisted the urge to smile at that reply, inwardly pleased that the stranger seemed so quick to pick up on the unspoken. _"He believes the symbol on your headband was to show your servitude to a god other than him."_

The man shook his head back and forth slowly. _"That symbol is for no god. It represents the village I come from. And his removing it will do nothing to lessen my loyalty to that place."_

Daniel was going to ask more about the village when he was pulled away from the silver-haired man. "Enough! Explain his words."

Daniel chewed on the inside of his cheek while he tried to find an answer that would placate the Goa'uld and keep this man from being injured any further. Perhaps a little truth mixed in would suffice.

"He assured me that the symbol is not to show allegiance to any god."

"Did he, now? Then why was he so upset by its removal, hmm?"

Daniel looked back over to where the stranger was watching everything with a calculating gaze. The Goa'uld also returned his attention toward the silver-haired man, and a moment later was tipping that man's head back by placing two fingers under the masked chin. The movement seemed to cause the masked-man a bit of discomfort, but he had remained silent.

The Goa'uld narrowed his eyes and made a show of tipping the man's head from side to side as though inspecting a prized head of cattle. It was something Daniel had witnessed far too often in his life, and it generally meant nothing good for the person being inspected. After all, just such an inspection had happened right before Skaara had been chosen to be the host for Klorel.

A low growl came from the masked man when the Goa'uld hooked the fingers of his free hand under the edge of the cloth mask and pulled it down in one quick movement. Daniel wasn't sure what disturbed him more – the way the Goa'uld's face lit up at what he saw, or the fact that the face revealed was nothing at all like what he'd expected to see.

The man was far younger than Daniel had assumed. In fact, they were probably close to the same age. He had assumed the man wore the mask for much the same reason he had covered his scarred eye, but the face revealed was all fine angles and smooth pale skin. There wasn't a scar in sight, and Daniel couldn't suppress a shiver when the Goa'uld's fingers traced the curve of the man's jawline with obvious wonder. The growl grew in volume, but was soon drowned out by the disturbing laughter of the Goa'uld.

"He has spirit. But that is easily handled."

The Goa'uld's hand pushed back the swath of silver hair that was obscuring half the man's face and revealed the scar that ran from above the fine silver eyebrow down through the closed eyelid and ended halfway between the high cheekbone and beardless chin.

"Even the imperfection seems to add to the allure. And it is only appropriate that our child should have a slight imperfection so as not to overshadow us."

Daniel's eyes went wide, and he was sure he'd paled as well once the implications of what the Goa'uld was saying sank in. This madman wanted to use the stranger's body as a host for his son!

The Goa'uld stepped back from the unfortunate man and headed to the business side of the DHD. A moment later, and the event horizon of the Star-Gate disappeared, casting the area into a thick darkness. Almost immediately, the stone ring began to spin as a new address was punched in on the DHD. Daniel cursed his luck as the gate was behind him, and his current position didn't allow him a clear view of which symbols were being selected on the DHD.

At the familiar sound of the new wormhole settling into the Star-Gate, Daniel felt his heart race. There was no way for him to let those who were sure to search for him know where he'd been taken. His only chance would be finding some way to escape once they'd traveled to wherever it was they were headed. So as he and the silver-haired stranger were pulled toward the event horizon, Daniel did his best to remember as many friendly off-world gate addresses as he could, and hoped he'd manage to get free.

Dammit, why couldn't he have just swallowed his pride, stayed back on Earth to go fishing, instead of trying to beef up his off-world record? After all, now Jack would just have one more reason to abuse him...just what he needed.

* * *

Kakashi wanted nothing more than to shove a lightning-filled fist through the man who was currently peeling his mask off him as though he was some much anticipated sweet. But his chakra wasn't able to do much more than generate a spark at this point, and even if he could manage more, his arms were being held securely behind his back. This day was just getting better and better.

A quick glance toward his fellow prisoner made Kakashi's heart sink even farther. Whatever the bastard in front of him had said during his inspection of Kakashi had obviously put the man on edge. The man's face was nearly as pale as his own, and if his eyes went any wider he'd rival Iruka Umino for failure to contain emotions.

Of course, thoughts of Umino led to thoughts of that man's favorite student – Naruto. And that led to thoughts of the blond jinchuriki's former teammates. Which, in turn, brought Kakashi's mind to how he'd pushed his fist through Sasuke's chest and then left Sakura behind to clean up his mess.

This day definitely was shaping up to be his worse one yet. And, considering his past, that was really saying something. But before he could wax on philosophically for much longer, a sharp pain in his shoulder managed to pull a groan from his mouth as he was being manhandled back toward the stone circle. The other prisoner was just beside him, and another pitying look from the man caused Kakashi's brow to furrow.

"_What aren't you telling me?"_

The look of surprise on his face was nearly enough to make Kakashi chuckle, but the man's words stole that desire away instantly. _"You probably won't understand, but he wants to make you a host for his son."_

A cold chill ran down his spine at the thought of being forced to be a jinchuriki. But before he could question the man further, they were shoved into the shining surface within the stone ring.


	2. Unexpected Discoveries

Chapter 2

Unexpected Discoveries

This time, Kakashi's trip through the tunnel of light was much less harrowing than his first time, but he still stumbled a bit as he was pushed through the other end. He caught his balance as quickly as he had lost it though, and he doubted if any of those around him even noticed it. Of course that could have been because of the bright sunlight shining down on them. But before Kakashi could begin to think of a way to use the blinding light to his advantage, the tight grip of the soldiers on his arms made it clear that he was no better off than he'd been on the other side of the tunnel. It wasn't long before he was being forced to follow a well-traveled path away from another stone ring.

His fellow prisoner was just ahead of him, with two more of the strangely dressed guards on either side of him. He suspected the freak with the glowing eyes was somewhere behind them, but honestly he didn't really care about that at the moment. Currently, his mind and his sense of smell were trying to comprehend the fact that they had somehow ended up in another place that he had no references to in his vast array of scents and memories. In fact, based on the strange aromas assaulting his nose, Kakashi was starting to wonder if they were even on the same world anymore.

The sound of a staff weapon discharging just in front of him drew Kakashi's attention to where that blast had been aimed. In an area just to the side of the path lay the smoking carcass of something that may have, at one time, resembled one of the Inuzuka's war-hounds...that is, if it wasn't for the fact this creature had eight legs and three heads. Kakashi had already ruled out a genjutsu by opening his sharingan eye just enough to verify there were no illusions involved. Unfortunately, that short expenditure of his barely recovered chakra was enough to make him unsteady on his feet, and therefore he was easily herded with the other prisoner into a large stone complex.

More of the armored guards lined the walls, each standing at attention and clutching more of the staff weapons. In addition, a few scantily clad men and women pressed themselves against the stone walls as the arriving party walked by. Kakashi had seen the look of abject terror in those unarmored men and woman before. Without fail, it was the face of people who had been forced into servitude. Kakashi narrowed his eyes and added that fact to the lengthening list of reasons he really despised his current captors.

After several minutes of walking, he and the other prisoner were shoved through an open doorway. While the man next to him stumbled forward under the weight of his wrist chains, Kakashi slid to a stop and spun on his heel just in time to see a large slab of what he assumed to be stone slide into place over the opening. The small room remained brightly lit by a series of recessed fixtures that ran along where the ceiling and walls met. After pulling his mask back up to cover his nose, Kakashi stepped closer to the sealed entrance and ran the fingertips of his right hand across where the slab met the wall. The surface was stylized to look like stone, but upon closer inspection it was clear to him that it was actually some form of metal. That might just work to his advantage down the road.

"_It's locked from the outside, and I'm afraid it looks like they've finally learned not to place any access panels on the inside of their cells."_

Kakashi turned toward where the man was sitting with his back up against the far wall and one knee pulled toward his chest. He had his glasses in his hand and was trying to clean one of the lenses with the bottom of his shirt – a task made a bit challenging thanks to the thick metal cuffs around the man's wrists. Kakashi considered what the other had said and let loose a sigh before moving to join the man on the floor.

"_It seems to be the way my day is going."_

The man chuckled and put his glasses back on before facing Kakashi. _"Mine too."_ He stretched his right hand out toward Kakashi as far as the chain would allow, but then he seemed to think better of that gesture, and instead gave him an awkward half-bow. _"I'm Daniel...Daniel Jackson. Sorry to meet under such...umm...unique circumstances."_

Kakashi couldn't sense anything threatening about the man sitting in front of him. Hell, he couldn't even sense more than a tiny bit of chakra from him. Of course, Kakashi wasn't exactly in the best shape to sense such things at the moment, but still, it seemed that this man was the only one who might be able to explain just what the hell was going on, as he seemed to know the language of their captor as well as his own tongue. And something told him he'd need all the help he could get to survive this one. His decision made, Kakashi tucked his chin toward his chest in a slight bow.

"_I am Kakashi Hatake. And I doubt you had much to do with how we met."_

The man...Daniel...showed no recognition of Kakashi's name which reinforced the thought that he was nowhere near the Five Great Countries. Daniel rubbed his palm on the fabric of his pants. _"No, I suppose I didn't."_

Kakashi tried to settle back against the wall a bit more and jarred his dislocated shoulder causing a hiss to escape his lips. He'd need to do something about this before too much longer in order to avoid any permanent damage to the joint.

"_Does it hurt?" _Before Kakashi could give the sarcastic answer that lay on his tongue, the man continued speaking after shaking his head. _"Right...obviously it hurt or you wouldn't have hissed. Sorry about that. Is there anything I can do to help?"_

Kakashi thought about that for a moment. Short of running headlong into the wall to knock the joint back into place on his own, Kakashi figured a second set of hands could be just what he needed. Still, he wasn't entirely sure he was ready to trust this stranger. But then again, he had no idea when the enemy would be returning, and he'd prefer to meet them with two working arms.

"_Have you ever fixed a dislocated joint before, Daniel?"_

Kakashi watched as the man's expression became quite serious. _"I have...a time or two. But nothing as large as a shoulder."_

Kakashi nodded once. _"Anything larger than a finger?"_

Daniel's cheeks seemed to color from embarrassment. _"Does a toe count?"_

"_Ah, no. But thank you for answering truthfully. All I will need you to do is hold my arm straight out from my body. I'll do the rest."_

Daniel frowned at him. _"I always thought the pain in resetting such a dislocation would knock a man out."_

Kakashi chuckled. _"I'm not like most men, Daniel. And I've had to do this before so I already know __what to expect."_

Daniel's face easily showed his skepticism at Kakashi's words, but he nodded all the same. _"Okay. If __you say so."_

Kakashi rose to his feet with Daniel following shortly after. Once he'd widened his stance to allow him the proper angle to start at, he used his uninjured hand to lift the other until Daniel gingerly took a hold of it. Kakashi then placed that free hand against Daniel's shoulder and met the man's eyes.

"_Whatever you hear, do not release your grip on my arm. You will want to pull against it to lessen my pain, but you must resist that urge. Am I clear?"_

Daniel's eyes went wide at Kakashi's words, but the man nodded in understanding. Kakashi closed his eye and took a deep breath, all the while picturing his misaligned joint within his mind. Although he hadn't lied to Daniel about having a dislocated shoulder before, he'd left out the fact he'd been thirteen...or that it took four ANBU guards to hold him down while the medic had repositioned the bone to where it belonged. Instead, Kakashi concentrated on how his bone seemed misaligned and then, with a warning squeeze to Daniel's shoulder, he started to manipulate the joint by twisting his body in a way that it could use the man in front of him as a levering point.

Kakashi bit back more than one cry of pain as the tender joint tried to keep him from abusing it any longer, but with a bit of tenacity, Kakashi managed to pop it back into place. Of course, that joint was making it quite clear how displeased it was with being treated in such a way, and Kakashi quickly removed his hand from Daniel's shoulder to cradle the inflamed appendage in such a way that it took some of the pressure off of it. Then he made his way back to the wall and slid his back down it until he was seated once more.

"_Well, that didn't look the least bit comfortable, Kakashi."_

Kakashi looked up at Daniel and found the man standing there with his hands held awkwardly in the cuffs. _"It wasn't comfortable, Daniel. But it was necessary."_

The two simply stared at each other for a bit before Daniel let out a large sigh and joined Kakashi on the floor. The man leaned his head against the wall and his eyes slid closed. Kakashi soon did the same, and the two stayed that way for quite some time. The only thing keeping Kakashi from enjoying the peace and quiet was the constant throb of pain in his abused shoulder.

After a few more quiet moments, Kakashi figured it was time to get some answers before the enemy returned. He opened his right eye and noticed Daniel was staring at him. Obviously the man had more than a few questions for him as well. Kakashi figured he'd learn more if he allowed Daniel to think he had the lead in the questioning, so he let the man speak first.

"_Forgive me for asking, Kakashi, but you weren't from the planet we were on before this one, were you?"_

Kakashi fought back the urge to smile at the knowledge his thoughts about being on a different world were being confirmed. Instead he shrugged his uninjured shoulder. _"What gave it away?"_

Daniel let loose a small laugh. _"Let's see...you definitely don't understand the native tongue of that world, and your attire certainly didn't blend in."_

Kakashi raised an eyebrow at that. _"Really? What was it about my outfit that gave me away, hmm?"_

Again Daniel laughed. _"I think it may have been the fact that it wasn't a loincloth."_

Kakashi grinned. _"Ah, I see. I will try not to overdress the next time I'm thrown onto an unknown world."_

"_So you didn't arrive through the Stargate?"_

Kakashi ran a hand through his hair. _"I assume that would be the stone ring? If so, I believe it is how I arrived...but I never knowingly stepped into it."_

Daniel went to move his hand up to his own hair, but the fact his wrists were still chained together made him abort the motion with a slight huff. _"I don't know of any other way to exit through a Stargate except to step into one in the first place."_

"_I did tell you I wasn't like most men."_ Kakashi bent his leg until he had an easy reach to the sole of his sandal. _"Would you like me to free your hands, Daniel?" _The look of doubt on the other man's face brought a sly grin to Kakashi's lips. _"Well, the cuffs certainly don't look the least bit comfortable...but if you'd prefer to keep them on..."_

Daniel lifted his wrists so quickly they he nearly whacked himself in the chin with the chain dangling between them. _"Please...get them off!"_

Kakashi chuckled as he worked loose the metal senbon he kept stashed in the heel of the sole. Once the four-inch long needle was revealed, he moved closer toward Daniel and set to work on the latch of the cuffs. Surprisingly, that latch wasn't trapped, and in less than a minute he'd managed to free the man of his cuffs.

"_You, Kakashi Hatake, are full of surprises."_

"_So I've been told before. Now please, Daniel Jackson, explain to me why they would put us in the same cell."_

Daniel rubbed at his freed wrists. _"You really have no idea where you are, do you?"_

Kakashi sighed. _"As you've pointed out, Daniel, I'm not from around these parts."_

"_Right. Okay, the first thing you need to know is that the Goa'uld don't consider any of us as a threat to them."_

"_Goa'uld?"_

"_The creep with the glowing eyes. They tend to have god-complexes, and consider the majority of the sentient life in the universe as their own personal belongings."_

"_Great. So because of this superiority complex of theirs they see no danger in placing us together?"_

"_Exactly! Of course, they aren't complete idiots. Even they do learn from their mistakes...eventually."_

Kakashi glanced down at the chains near Daniel's feet. _"And just what lesson did you and your people teach these Goa'uld that would result in you being placed in chains while I am left free?"_

Daniel scratched at the back of his ear. _"It may have had something to do with the fact that we have sort of killed off a few of them over the years."_

Kakashi smirked. _"I can see how that might have colored their opinion of you."_

"_But what about you, Kakashi? How is it that you know how to fix a dislocated shoulder and pick locks faster than anyone I've ever known?"_

Kakashi lifted his eyebrows at that. _"Do you know many people who pick locks Daniel Jackson?"_

Kakashi noted the slight frown on Daniel's lips. _"In fact I do. Sam Carter can trip a lock quicker than I ever thought possible...until I met you, that is. Jack O'Neill tends to take a bit longer, and Teal'c...well, Teal'c just uses brute strength."_

"_Were these the people with you today?"_

Daniel ran a hand through his hair. _"No. Thankfully they're still back home."_

"_Will they search for you?"_

"_Yeah...probably. What about you, Kakashi? Surely someone will come looking for you, right?"_

Kakashi thought about that for a moment before answering. _"I doubt it highly."_

He watched a look of confusion grace Daniel's face. _"Won't anyone notice you're gone?"_

Kakashi rubbed at the back of his neck. _"My companions will not think I survived my departure."_

Before any more questions could come from the man, the doorway slid open and three of the armored soldiers stood at the entrance. Two of them activated their staff weapons and pointed them into the room while the third stepped forward and glared at Kakashi.

"You are to come with us."

Kakashi furrowed his brow at the unknown language and glanced over to where Daniel had wisely hidden both the chains on the floor and the fact that his wrists were free. _"Am I to assume that was some sort of command to move, Daniel?"_

Daniel sighed at him. _"I'm afraid so."_

The guard took another step into the room. "Kree!"

Kakashi ran all the angles through his mind, trying to think of some way to use this situation to his advantage. Unfortunately he was still too injured and exhausted to do much of anything. He had no choice but to go along with the guards until he could get a better idea of what his options were. And if nothing else, he'd get a better view of just where they were being held, which would definitely help when it was time to escape.

He started to work his way up the wall, cradling his arm as best he could, and trying not to jar his still injured ribs, but evidently he was not quick enough for the guard. The one without a staff weapon was at his side and jerking him to his feet quickly enough that Kakashi's ribs and shoulder caused a gasp to leave his lips. He was pulled over to where the others were waiting, and then pushed out into the hallway. Not another word was spoken to him from the time the door slammed shut behind him, to when he was forced into yet another brightly lit room.

This time, there was no attempt to communicate with him as he was led to where a large golden structure sat on the floor. A handful of the barely clothed servants stood on each side of the item, and it had carvings covering the top and sides. As they moved closer to it, the top split in two with a mechanical hiss, and opened to reveal a man-sized recess. Kakashi wasn't liking the implications of what this meant.

The servants moved forward to surround him, and when he tried to dodge their groping hands he was blocked by the guards and their weapons. The servants' hands quickly stripped Kakashi of his uniform shirt and yanked his mask back down to his neck. His heart raced as he was manhandled into the device and pushed roughly against the bottom by the guards. The cover started to slide into place over him with a loud grating sound, and just as Kakashi started to gather up what little chakra he had left to try and stop the process, a cloud of fine mist covered his exposed face and he almost instantly felt himself drifting toward unconsciousness.

* * *

General George Hammond looked down at the Stargate from the control room hoping that SG-4 would dial in with some lame excuse for why they were more than one hundred and forty minutes overdue for their check-in. But he knew from experience that, if a team was this late for a scheduled contact, it usually meant trouble. Add to that the fact that Dr. Daniel Jackson was on the mission – a man who held far too much knowledge of the SGC in general, and he really couldn't afford the luxury of waiting any longer to send a recovery team in. He turned toward where several of the enlisted personnel were watching him. Among them was the Gate Technician who'd seemingly become the mascot of the SG teams over the years, and it wasn't hard to see the concern in Walter's eyes. George nodded once to the tech and sighed.

"Dial up the gate, son."

"Yes sir." Walter swiveled in his chair and immediately brought up the dialing program.

The sound of warning alarms and the inner circle of the Stargate spinning nearly drowned out Walter's normal routine. "Chevron one encoded!"

George blocked the rest of the list of chevrons being selected and chose to concentrate instead on the group of tense individuals entering into the Embarkation Room at that very moment. Technically, each and every one of them should have been off-base today, enjoying a well deserved vacation, but when he'd personally reached out to them and explained the situation, they had all demanded to be on the recovery mission. Not that he could blame them. After all, Major Carter, Colonel O'Neill, and Teal'c were all members of SG-1 with the missing Dr. Jackson, and George knew that each of them likely held themselves responsible for their missing teammate. Even though everyone was well aware that nothing could have stopped Daniel from joining SG-4 on this mission once his mind was set on it, this trio still would blame themselves.

Meanwhile, SG-18 was assigned to going along as tactical and medical support. After all, there were two main reasons a team didn't check in: they were injured and unable to get to the gate, or they have run into hostile forces and been detained. Both situations would require the specialized skills of SG-18.

"Chevron seven locked!"

Walter's words were followed by the familiar sound of the wormhole taking hold within the center of the Gate, and George leaned forward to speak into the mike that connected with the Embarkation Room.

"SG-1...SG-18...your mission is to go through the Stargate and bring SG-4 and Dr. Jackson home. You have twelve hours to investigate before you are expected to contact the SGC with your findings. Is that clear?"

Colonel O'Neill turned until he was facing him and gave a curt nod. George watched as the man turned back to the remainder of his team and SG-18 and motioned toward the gate with his P-90. A moment later and all but Jack had stepped through the event horizon. The man turned back to look expectantly toward the observation room, and George leaned toward the mike one last time.

"God-speed, Colonel."

One more nod of Jack's head and then the man was gone. Ten seconds later and the Stargate was deactivated, leaving him anxious for the next twelve hours to pass by so that he'd know just what they were dealing with. He placed one hand on Walter's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Keep me posted, Walter."

"Yes sir."

George made the silent walk from the Gate Room to his office wishing more than anything that he could have gone along with the teams. Maybe then he wouldn't feel quite so helpless.

* * *

Tsunade blocked out the sounds all around her as she read over the last lines of the report in her hands. Then, when they still didn't say what she wanted them to say, she reread them again. After the tenth time with the same results, she realized that the characters on the page would never change, and a soft sob escaped her throat as a rogue tear slid by her eyelashes and landed on the offensive characters.

_Third Battalion General – Kakashi Hatake – Killed In Action_

She clenched the paper in her hands and closed her eyes. This couldn't be happening. She couldn't have lost another Hatake. Not now. Not when Konoha needed him the most. Not when there was so much left unsaid.

"Lady Tsunade?"

Her aide, Shizune, placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, reminding her that she wasn't alone in the tent. Tsunade used the back of one hand to wipe away the tears that she simply didn't have the luxury of shedding right now, before lifting her gaze away from the traitorous report and looking into the faces of her shinobi once more. She could see the loss and pain in every one of their eyes – some more than others – and it made it clear that she would not be alone in her grief when the proper time came. But that time was not now. No. As the Hokage of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, she and the other Kage still had work to do before they could officially declare the Fourth Shinobi War a success.

And once that work was finished, Tsunade would make sure that everyone - civillian and shinobi alike - knew of the sacrifice Kakashi Hatake had made to ensure a lasting peace for the Five Great Nations.

* * *

When the minutes since Kakashi had been taken from the cell stretched into hours, Daniel wasn't sure just what it might mean. After all, he knew personally just how many different possibilities could arise when taken from a Goa'uld cell under guard. He just hoped that his new friend's experience wasn't one that ended with his death...or worse than that, his use as a host.

Daniel's mind continued to feed him various different scenarios for Kakashi's whereabouts throughout the time spent alone in the cell. So many, in fact, that by the time the door to the room slid open he was fully expecting some mutated Jaffa/Goa'uld mix to stumble through the opening. But it wasn't anything of the sort. Instead, the unconscious body of the silver-haired man was carried into the cell and placed gently on the ground. The servants who'd brought him left without so much as a glance Daniel's way. The door slid shut once more, and the only sound in the room was the steady breathing of the man across the room.

Daniel sat immobile for a handful of minutes, unsure of what to do. But soon his curiosity got the better of him, especially when he noticed Kakashi's outer shirt was missing and the sleeveless shell that remained allowed him to see a swirled tattoo of dark red ink covering a good portion of the man's upper left arm. He also noticed the mask pooled around Kakashi's neck once more, and Daniel frowned at that. If there was one thing he'd already learned about the man, it was that he preferred to have that mask covering his face.

Daniel pushed himself up and crossed over to where Kakashi was still lying on the hard floor. He knelt next to the man and carefully tipped the silver-haired head to the side and pushed the hair off the back of Kakashi's neck. A sigh of relief left Daniel's lips when all he saw was smooth, unmarred skin. Whatever else had happened during Kakashi's time away from the cell, the introduction of a Goa'uld host had not been a part of it.

Daniel gently turned Kakashi's head back to a more natural position and then he pulled the mask into place before sitting back and scratching at his ear. He was about to go back to where he'd been sitting before, when Kakashi's right eye snapped open and the man's right hand circled Daniel's wrist with crushing force.

"Shit! Kakashi, it's me..." Daniel shook his head at his stupidity and tried again, this time in Kakashi's language. _"Please, Kakashi. It's just me...Daniel Jackson."_

Slowly a look of recognition filled Kakashi's dark gray eye, and eventually his iron grip lessened on Daniel's wrist. _"Daniel? Then I am back in the cell."_

Daniel sighed and smiled down at the silver-haired man. _"Yes, Kakashi. Are you okay? Where did they take you?"_

Kakashi released Daniel's wrist and slowly pushed himself into a sitting position. _"I am fine. In fact, I am pain-free for the first time in awhile."_

Daniel narrowed his gaze at the man. _"I don't suppose they took you to a large golden box with carvings all over it, did they?"_

Kakashi blinked back at him, the faint trace of a frown barely visible beneath the mask covering his lips. _"They did. I was drugged into unconsciousness just before the lid covered the device with me inside."_

Daniel frowned. _"You were placed in a Sarcophagus. It's a device the Goa'uld use to provide healing and lengthen the life of their human hosts."_

"_This sounds like a good thing, Daniel. But by the look in your eyes there is more to the story."_

It was almost unsettling how easily he was read by this stranger, but Daniel couldn't deny the man's words. _"Continued use of the device can lead to addiction...or worse."_

"_Worse?"_

"_Yeah, worse. I'm pretty sure that the continual use of these things are partially to blame for the insanity that seems to be present in the vast majority of the Goa'uld."_

He watched Kakashi roll his shoulders and twist his body. _"I see. Considering how well I seem to have been mended, I can understand the allure. Still, I don't think I would want to rely on such a thing when there are other methods for healing available."_

Daniel couldn't help but agree with that one. "_Good point, Kakashi. I just wish I'd managed to think ahead and stick an extra med pack in my pockets this time around."_

Kakashi turned his attention toward him. _"Are you injured?"_

Daniel chuckled and rubbed at the chaffed area on his wrists from where the metal cuffs had dug into his skin while he'd worn them. _"It's nothing to worry about Kakashi. It'll heal on it's own, in time."_

"_Will you allow me to try something, Daniel?"_

Something in how he'd said that made him extremely curious to see what Kakashi what talking about. _"I guess so."_

Kakashi shifted so he was facing Daniel and then reached out and grabbed both of his hands and guided them to rest on Kakashi's knees. _"If this works, Daniel, you will feel a slight sensation of heat until I am __finished."_

Daniel bit his lower lip but nodded his understanding. Kakashi seemed to take it as his signal to begin, because the next thing Daniel knew, the long fingers of Kakashi's hands went through a number of strange positions before the man settled his palms over each of Daniel's injured wrists. A faint green glow was emitted from Kakashi's hands, and as the man had warned, a slight warmth spread out across the wounded skin. It never became more than a bit uncomfortable, and when the glow faded away and Kakashi pulled his hands back, Daniel was surprised to see no sign remaining from the injury at all.

"_How did you do that?"_

Kakashi ran a hand across the back of his neck before answering. _"It is something I learned long ago. I used a basic jutsu to channel my chakra into your body and assist your own chakra to mend you on a cellular level."_

Daniel ran the fingers of his left hand over the unblemished skin of his right wrist. _"Okay, I think I know what chakra is. That's part of the Eastern philosophy that the spiritual energy of a person circulates through them and concentrates in certain parts of the body, right? But I've never heard of a jutsu before."_

Kakashi seemed to be surprised at his words. _"I must admit, Daniel, that I have never met someone who knows of and has chakra, but who does not know about the means of forming it into jutsu. Do they not train your children in such things?"_

"_Our children? No. Hell, adults barely ever look beyond the basics of chakra. I only know about it because I spent a semester in college studying metaphysical texts."_

"_I see. So your shinobi do not rely on jutsu in their battles?"_

Daniel shook his head. _"Shinobi? I don't think we have any of those where I'm from, Kakashi. Is that what you are? A shinobi?"_

He watched a yawn escape Kakashi's mouth when he started to respond. _"Forgive me Daniel. It seems your healing took a bit more out of me than I expected. Would you mind if we continued our chat later?"_

"_I'm sorry. I should have recognized that you weren't completely recovered yet. Please, get some rest. It isn't like there'll be anything more interesting to talk about later. And thank you for healing me in the first place."_

Kakashi curled his eye up into a crescent, and Daniel thought he saw the faint outline of a smile behind the mask. _"We are in similar circumstances, so it would be senseless to hold back aid if it might help us both in the future. We will talk more later."_

With that, Kakashi lowered himself back onto the floor and seemingly fell asleep a moment later. Daniel sat there a bit longer staring between his healed wrists and the mysterious shinobi before he gave in to his own exhaustion and sank down to the floor beside the masked man. Like Kakashi had said, they would definitely talk later.

* * *

There'd been no sign of Daniel once they reached planet P3X-4...no 5...whatever the heck the designation was, and with only six more hours before they had to report in, things were definitely not looking good. They'd discovered the bodies of three out of four members of the SG team, and the only reason Jack hadn't lost it totally was because Danny's body wasn't one of them.

Or, as Teal'c had put it – _Daniel Jackson is not among the corpses, O'Neill. _Leave it to Teal'c to put it so delicately. Still, it had been enough to give them all hope that maybe, just maybe, the kid was still alive ...somewhere. Now it was just a matter of seeing if Danny left them any crumbs to follow.

Jack cradled his P-90 in his arms, feeling somewhat comforted by the familiar weight of the weapon, and watched as Sam worked her magic on the DHD. Or he wanted to watch...if it wasn't so damned boring.

"You done yet Carter?"

He watched her push her blond hair behind one ear as she answered him. "No sir. I still have to find a way to piggy-back the laptop operating system into the main control crystal. If I don't get the synchronization just right, I run the risk of erasing the locations from its memory crystals and disabling the DHD permanently."

Jack frowned. "And that would be bad, right?"

Sam placed her hands on her legs with a sigh. "Yes, Colonel. That would be _very_ bad. It would not only make it impossible to tell what address Daniel was taken to, but it would strand us here indefinitely."

"Oh. But you can do it, right?"

Sam rolled her eyes at him. "Yes sir. If you leave me alone long enough."

Jack shifted his P-90 and shrugged. "Why didn't you just say so?"

He moved over to where Teal'c was squatting in front of the gate and watched as the Jaffa ghosted his fingers over the ground. "You find something, T?"

Teal'c tipped his bald head up to look back at him. "So it would seem, O'Neill."

Jack lowered himself until he was squatting next to him. He saw a clear footprint in the dirt and scratched at his ear. "You found a footprint. Well good going Teal'c. Now we can all go home."

Teal'c raised one eyebrow in that way that meant Jack's attempt at a joke had fallen flat once again. "I do not think that learning that Daniel Jackson was not the only one taken is reason for us to return to the SGC, O'Neill. Am I mistaken?"

Jack rested his P-90 across his knees. "It was a joke Teal'c. Wait a second. Did you say Danny wasn't the only one taken?"

"Yes, O'Neill."

"But we've accounted for the rest of SG-4."

"Of this I am aware, O'Neill."

"Then who the heck else would have been taken?"

Teal'c traced his fingers over the footprint once more. "I am not certain of that. But this print is not Goa'uld or Jaffa in nature. Nor is it Daniel Jackson's."

Jack stood up and turned toward where Carter was still working on the DHD. "And how do you know the print isn't from whoever took Danny?"

Teal'c stood and pointed to a series of prints leading toward the Gate. "Because the ones over here are Daniel Jackson's, and the two seem to have been brought to the Chappa'ai at the same time, O'Neill, by Jaffa."

Jack looked where Teal'c was pointing and frowned. "Great. That's just great."

Teal'c cocked his head to the side. "Are you not glad to know that Daniel Jackson might still live, O'Neill?"

Jack slung his P-90 over his shoulder and placed one hand on Teal'c's shoulder. "It's not that, T. This just means that Daniel is probably gonna want us to save whatever poor sap was captured with him."

Before the Jaffa could respond, Sam let loose a victory cheer near the DHD. "Colonel! I've got the address!"

Jack walked over to where Sam was grinning like a fool. "That's great Carter. Now, can you put the thing back together so we can let General Hammond know? We only got five hours before we have to report in."

The smile disappeared and she quickly started removing the wires she'd hooked into the DHD's crystals. "Yes sir. Just give me a minute to get it back together."

Jack swung his P-90 back in front of him and crossed his arms over it. "Take your time Carter. I'd rather you were sure the thing works before we walk through it again."

A slight blush crossed Sam's cheeks and Jack chuckled a little before turning around to face the Gate once more. He sighed and whispered what was on his mind, hoping that somehow his friend might hear him. "Hang on, Danny. We're on our way."


	3. What's In a Name

Chapter 3

What's In a Name?

Once Kakashi was certain that the man next to him was sound asleep, he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. What concerned him the most right now, was that he was actually somewhere that seemed to have no clue about what a shinobi was, let alone what chakra could truly do. The obvious question in his own mind was just what that might mean?

If he was truly honest with himself, when he'd offered to heal Daniel's wrists, he'd meant it to be a test to see if he'd still be able to manipulate his chakra when he was removed from his own world. Thankfully, that test proved to be a success, and now he was fairly certain that he would at least have some means to fight back against these Goa'uld that seemed to be feared or revered by everyone he'd met so far. So now all he had to do was figure out some way to get himself and Daniel out of this place.

The problem was, even though he could access his chakra, it was replenishing itself at a much slower rate than he was used to. Although, in retrospect, he should be counting himself lucky that it was replenishing itself at all. But still, that meant he'd need to be very careful with what jutsu he used so that he wasn't expending more than could be restored in a night's rest. Which meant, of course, that he really should be trying to rest, and not laying here over-thinking things.

Kakashi sighed and closed his eyes, willing his mind to quiet and his body to rest. His breathing fell into a steady cadence, and he felt the first tug of true sleep on his body, when he was yanked up off of the floor and slammed back against the nearest wall. It concerned him more than a bit that he hadn't even sensed the Jaffa approaching, or heard the sound of the door opening. But Kakashi pushed those thoughts to the side as the gloved hand of the Jaffa in front of him threatened to crush his airway. The man continued to squeeze his neck while lifting him up the wall, and soon Kakashi's feet were dangling a good foot off the floor.

Never one to enjoy such attacks...particularly when they were used on him, Kakashi let his instincts take over. He lifted his feet up until the soles of his sandals connected with the wall, and he used that surface to provide him the needed leverage to push his body forward toward the angry Jaffa in front of him. Momentum carried his body, and that of the surprised Jaffa, tumbling to the ground. The Jaffa released his grip on Kakashi's neck as they fell, and that opened up a chance for Kakashi to land a chakra-enhanced elbow into the Jaffa's upper body before rolling off to the side and crouching into a position that would allow him to attack any of the others who were only now getting past their shock over his last move.

By now, Daniel had woken up and by the agitated tone of his voice it was obvious to Kakashi that the man was trying find out just what had prompted the Jaffa's attack. The sound of staff weapons activating drew Kakashi's attention back toward the doorway, where three more Jaffa stood at the ready. He would need to proceed cautiously if there'd be any chance of surviving the night.

"_Daniel, is there some reason I was being attacked by these...men?"_

Kakashi saw the frown on his fellow prisoner's face and knew he wasn't about to give him good news. _"They want to know where you've hidden the hand device."_

"_I don't mean to sound ignorant Daniel, but why exactly would they think I had such a thing?"_

Daniel placed one hand over his other wrist, and just like that, Kakashi knew why they'd thought he had one. He frowned and shook his head at his own stupidity. He should have realized that a place as technologically advanced as this one seemed to be would have cameras watching the inside of their cell. He never should have healed Daniel's wrists. He should have found another, less obvious way to test his chakra.

"_Daniel, tell them there is no device. It is just a skill I have."_

"_Are you sure you want me to tell them that? That's likely to make them more interested in you, not less."_

"_Just tell them."_

He watched as Daniel spoke in the language of the Jaffa, and somehow he doubted they believed him, considering their next action was to basically perform a thorough search of every inch of the cell. The entire time, both Kakashi and Daniel had staff weapons pointed at them, and when no healing device was uncovered, the Jaffa turned the search toward the two men.

Kakashi resisted his urge to attack the Jaffa, if for no other reason than he figured such an action would result in pain or death for his fellow prisoner. So, instead, he allowed the muscle-bound Jaffa to bodily search him, all the time planning exactly how he'd dispatch each and every one of these despicable beings.

Eventually they left, but not before they'd back-handed Daniel for evidently back-talking to them. Once the Jaffa resealed the door, Kakashi crossed over to where Daniel was only just starting to rise off the floor. The man's cheek was already starting to bruise and swell, and his bottom lip was split open and seeping more than a bit of blood.

"_Let me take a look at that, Daniel."_

The man wiped the back of his hand against his mouth and tried to smile at Kakashi. _"It's fine, really. I've had much worse._

Kakashi chuckled as he lifted one hand up to rest on Daniel's injured cheek. _"That may be true, Daniel. But they already know about what I can do, so I may as well do it in their full view so they'll finally admit that it's done without this hand-device they keep talking about."_

Without waiting for a response, Kakashi fed a small amount of his chakra into his fingertips before molding its purpose into a healing flow. They swelling disappeared almost immediately, and he moved his fingers to the man's split lip and completed his task. When he was finished, he couldn't help but notice the strange look in Daniel's eyes.

"_Is something wrong, Daniel?"_

The man in front of him let a small puff of air out of his mouth before raising his hand to rub the recently healed cheek. _"Kakashi, that's not all you can do, is it?"_

Kakashi raised one eyebrow at how Daniel had managed to make that sound like a statement of fact, rather than a question. _"What would make you say that, hmm?"_

Daniel took his glasses off and made a great show of rubbing the lenses with the edge of his shirt before replacing them onto his face. _"You know Kakashi, I'm not as blind and people think I am."_

Kakashi leaned against the wall with practiced ease. His arms were folded loosely across his chest, and his bangs fell over his left eye without his headband there to keep them in place. _"I would never accuse you of being blind, Daniel. But still, you have yet to answer my question."_

Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose in such a way that Kakashi was momentarily reminded of Lord Orochimaru's henchman, Kabuto Yakushi. That slimy little snake-wannabe that had come so close to helping the Akatsuki wipe out the Allied Forces, not to mention having personally tortured Tenzou and forced him to take part in creating Madara's mutated army. Kakashi frowned at that thought. At the moment, he wasn't even sure if Naruto had managed to eliminate that little bastard or not. Or if Sakura, Sai and the others had been able to wipe out the remainder of Madara's forces once he'd managed to remove the Uchiha from the equation...assuming his final jutsu had actually managed to remove Madara. At this point, he could only assume it had worked. But if it had worked, shouldn't that bastard have ended up right next to him on that last planet?

"_Are you alright, Kakashi?"_

Daniel's voice shook Kakashi out of his spiraling thoughts. He rubbed at the back of his neck self-consciously. _"Sorry about that. You were about to answer my question, weren't you?"_

He noted a look of concern in Daniel's blue eyes, and that alone wiped away any further comparisons to Kabuto from Kakashi's mind. The exaggerated sigh that escaped the man's mouth was followed by words that made it quite clear that he was nearly as observant as Kakashi was.

"_Fine. The way you moved to break out of the Jaffa's grip made it clear that you've been in similar situations before and have likely been trained to deal with it a hell of a lot better than I ever could. Then there was the way you were able to send the Jaffa sailing across the room with your elbow hit."_

Kakashi frowned. _"Heh, you noticed that, did you?"_

"_Kakashi, I've been up against Jaffa before. Heck, my team's stacked with power hitters. But I've never even seen Teal'c manage to send one of them across a room with just an elbow before."_

"_Teal'c? That name's a bit strange."_

Daniel smirked at him. _"This from the man named after a scarecrow...but, yeah, Teal'c isn't exactly like you or me. He's Jaffa."_

Now that definitely caught and held Kakashi's attention. But before he could do more than uncross his arms and tense a bit, Daniel lifted his hands up between them and spoke quickly.

"_Whoa! It's not like that! Teal'c _used_ to be Jaffa, but now he's one of us. In fact I count him as a close friend."_

Kakashi was about to question Daniel a bit more about his taste in friends, but the door opening pulled his attention away. The sound of words he couldn't understand was all the warning they had before all hell broke loose. They were rushed by six Jaffa, and soon he found himself starting to understand Daniel's surprise at how he'd hit the Jaffa that last time. Every one of the enemy fought with a style and quickness that would rival his friend, Gai. And, considering Gai was an undisputed Taijutsu Master, that was saying something.

Fortunately for Kakashi, though, Gai was forever declaring them Eternal Rivals, and challenging him to countless Taijutsu battles in an effort to prove himself better. Although that man could be a bit overzealous with his challenges, at this very moment Kakashi was thankful for it. He found himself between two of the muscular armored men and dropped into low crouch before spinning in place and sweeping his leg out to knock his attackers off-balance. Before the last Jaffa landed, Kakashi had already dove toward where Daniel was being cornered by two more Jaffa. Without weapons of his own, he was limited in what he could do, so he needed to make every move count.

Kakashi channeled chakra into his arms and grabbed one of the Jaffa in front of Daniel by his armor. With a chakra-enhanced grip, he sank into a crouch taking the enemy with him in a backward tumble. Once he was certain of the momentum and trajectory, Kakashi let go of the Jaffa, letting the law of physics to take over. He allowed himself a moment of satisfaction when he heard his makeshift Jaffa missile slam into the group behind him, but his concentration quickly returned to where Daniel was now face to face with another Jaffa. Kakashi launched himself at the enemy's back, grabbing hold of the Jaffa's head and neck in a vice-like grip. A sharp twist of his arms was rewarded with the distinct sound of vertebrae twisting free of the spinal column, and a moment later the Jaffa crumpled lifeless at his feet.

Kakashi pushed the wide-eyed stare on Daniel's face out of his mind before spinning on the balls of his feet to see just how much more he needed to do to win them their freedom. What he'd expected to see was the remaining Jaffa setting up to engage him. Unfortunately what he _did_ see was the business end of a hand device. He'd just registered the Goa'uld's glowing eyes in front of him when that device was activated, but instead of excruciating pain, Kakashi felt the fight in him fade away, along with his consciousness.

* * *

Samantha Carter was doing everything in her power to make sure that the DHD was still fully operational after she'd disconnected her laptop from the power crystals. Not that she'd ever done such a thing in the past, but thanks to Colonel O'Neill's pep-talk earlier, she found herself second-guessing every connection she'd made. She frowned and looked over to where Jack and Teal'c we deep in discussion. Teal'c was leaning on his staff weapon, while the Colonel stood with his arms casually folded across his P-90. As though he could tell she was looking at him, the Colonel turned his head to face her.

"You almost done there, Carter? I'd like us to get to Daniel before he finds himself on the wrong side of a staff weapon."

"Just about, Sir. I just have a few things left to pack up. Give me two minutes and we can head out."

Sam sighed and turned her attention back to the final cable linking her laptop to the crystals. Once that was disconnected, she closed up the access panel and started packing up her equipment. She lifted her laptop off the ground, and was just about to call out to Jack to tell him she was finished, when a flash of silver caught her eye. It had been covered up by her computer up to now, and she stared at the strange swirling pattern carved into the smooth surface of metal trying to figure out just what it might represent. Was it something from whoever it was that took Daniel? Or maybe it belongs to whoever was there with him when he was taken. Either way, it was something she needed to report to the Colonel. She looked up and noticed Teal'c and the Colonel were already heading toward her.

"What's with the frown, Carter? You didn't break something, did you?"

Sam's frown twisted into a scowl. "No sir. But I did find something you might want to check out."

She could see the sarcastic remark hovering right behind the Colonel's eyes, so sent her face in what she liked to think of as her 'business face' and motioned toward the piece of metal that she'd only just discovered.

"I've never seen this symbol before, Sir. Does it look like anything you've come across?"

The Colonel's attention was successfully shifted toward the object while Sam finished packing up the last of her equipment. Jack squatted next to her with his P-90 resting on his knees. He moved his head back and forth to look at the object from different angles.

"Nope. Never seen it. How about you, T?"

Teal'c stood beside her and stared down at the metal plate for nearly a full minute. "This is not the symbol for any of the Goa'uld that I know of, O'Neill."

Sam sighed. "Well, I guess that's a good thing then."

Teal'c frowned. "I am afraid it would only be a good thing if I knew of every Goa'uld."

Colonel O'Neill tipped his head up to look at Teal'c directly. "What are you saying, Teal'c?"

The muscles along the Jaffa's jaw tensed. "I am saying, O'Neill, that for every Goa'uld that is known to me, there are dozens more that I hold no knowledge of. Many of these are lesser Goa'uld, but they are each dangerous in their own ways."

The Colonel rolled his eyes. "Well isn't that just perfect. So we go into this with absolutely no idea of just which snake this swirly-thing represents. That's just great. Do you have any more good news for me, T?"

Sam watched as Teal'c knelt down beside her and picked the metal plate up. A frown creased his forehead as a strip of cloth attached to the plate swung free. "I know of no Goa'uld who do not brand their followers directly. Whatever God this stands for, they do not follow normal Goa'uld practices."

Sam licked lips that were suddenly dry at the thought of Daniel in the hands of an unpredictable Goa'uld. "So what should we do, Colonel?"

Jack pushed himself back up to standing and shrugged. "Let's dial home first and let 'em know the scoop. Then, once backup arrives, we go get our boy back."

Sam frowned. "We're waiting for backup, Sir?"

The Colonel shifted his P-90 to his hip. "Yeah, well, considering the damage done on this planet, and the fact T here doesn't know what we should expect from this snake, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

Teal'c placed his hand on her shoulder. "Do not worry, Samantha Carter. Daniel Jackson is strong. He will survive until we rescue him."

She noticed a small frown settle on Jack's face and she felt her stomach clench. Still, she tried to share in the confidence Teal'c was showing. Not trusting her voice at that moment, she moved to the other side of the DHD and punched in the address for the SGC.

* * *

Kakashi woke and instantly knew he wasn't going to like where he was. He had been stripped of his remaining shirt and mask, and was currently lying on his back on a cold stone slab. His arms and legs were being held down by a half-dozen Jaffa, and by the looks on their faces, it was clear to him that there'd be no escaping their tight grips this time.

A rustle of material to his right caught Kakashi's attention, and he turned his head in its direction. Before him stood the Goa'uld he'd truly come to hate. That deep feeling only increased when the man starting speak to him in a tone that, even without understanding the language, made it crystal clear to him that whatever was about to happen would not be pleasurable in the least.

He narrowed his eye and growled low in his throat as the man placed his fingers atop Kakashi's chest, just above his heart, and then trailed the digits possessively down his body until he reached just above the waistband of Kakashi's pants. A light chuckle escaped the Goa'uld before he looked up and barked an order to someone just beyond Kakashi's limited view. A moment later and a second hand, from the other side of the table mimicked the movement that the Goa'uld just completed.

Kakashi turned his head until the newcomer could be seen. It was a man who was just a handful of years younger than Kakashi was. His physique and clothing made it clear that he was not a soldier. His muscles were not as defined as those holding Kakashi in place, and the long gilded robe he wore was nothing he would have been able to fight in. There were golden bracelets all up and down his thin arms, and his dark brown hair was cropped neatly and obviously well cared for. The eyes, however, held the look of blind devotion in them that Kakashi had encountered far too often in his life. It was the look that showed him that, whoever this man was, he had sworn himself, body and soul, to the Goa'uld on the other side of the table.

More foreign words came from the Goa'uld, and Kakashi held his breath as the younger man leaned closer still to him until the upper half of his body leaned over the table. At the same time, the man loosened his long robe until it came free of his shoulders to slide down to the floor. Kakashi now had a clear view of that man's chest, and as he watched, the center of his abdomen seemed to split open. That man's eyes filled with a look that was just this side of ecstasy as something started to push its way free of what Kakashi could only describe as a pouch within the man's body.

Kakashi struggled to keep his heart rate steady when the creature that had been housed within that pouch slithered out of the man and on to Kakashi's stomach. He'd never encountered anything like this in all his years as a shinobi. The creature was as long as his forearm, and resembled a cross between a snake and some of the lizards he'd read about as a boy...the ones with razor-sharp crests around their necks that were reported to feast on human flesh.

Kakashi could not shake that image when the creature continued its path up his torso. He noted that the slime-covered body was surprisingly cold to the touch, considering it had come from within the body of that second man just moments earlier. He tried to break free of the Jaffa holding him, but he was still fighting off the after-effects of being knocked out with the hand-device. His own physical strength was limited, and he was having trouble getting his mind to mold his chakra into anything useful.

The Goa'uld laughed deeply at him, while the creature reached Kakashi's chest and reared up like one of Orochimaru's pet snakes preparing to strike. But unlike Orochimaru's beasts, this creature's eyes held an intelligence in them. The thing's face split into four sections revealing what he could only assume was its mouth. It was as though this creature was sharing in the Goa'uld's glee.

The snake-like thing lowered its head and continued its journey along Kakashi's skin. The Goa'uld continued to spout words that he couldn't understand, until two words caught Kakashi's attention.

"Jaffa! Kree!"

As the creature continued to climb towards where Kakashi's neck met his left shoulder, his Jaffa handlers deftly turned him over until he was face down on the table. He heard the footsteps of the Goa'uld as that man moved to stand by his head. Again, a stream of nonsensical words issued from the Goa'uld's lips, and Kakashi tensed when he felt the man's fingers sink into the hair on the back of his head. That hair was then pulled aside until the back of Kakashi's neck was exposed to the cool air of the room.

The creature's path had continued while Kakashi was being man-handled, and by his estimate, it was now positioned directly between his shoulder blades. There seemed to be a collective intake of breath from all of those around him, and an air of anticipation was nearly thick enough to cut with a kunai. The hand in his hair gripped tighter, and in that very moment a scream was ripped from his throat when he felt a sharp pain at the base of his neck. The analytical portion of his mind noted that the slime-trail from the creature led directly to where the pain was focused. Meanwhile, he could _feel_ something trying to access his mind. No...not access it...it was trying to dominate it.

The screams ended even as that realization crossed his mind. The most frightening thing about the sudden silence, however, was the fact that _he_ hadn't been the one to stop the screams. This went well beyond the mind-possession or the shadow-possession jutsu that he had encountered and trained against during his ANBU days. This felt completely unnatural. But he couldn't seem to stop it from happening. And that did something none of Kakashi's numerous enemies had ever been able to do to him...it actually frightened him.

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki had received word of the final victory of the Allied Forces over the Akatsuki while he was visiting Hinata Hyuga in the Field Hospital outside of Tea Country. So when he escorted the pale-eyed woman back to the area where Konoha was, even now, being rebuilt, he was somewhat confused by how every person he'd run into seemed sad. Yeah, sure...he got the whole 'the village was destroyed' vibe that was in the air. Honestly, he'd been expecting that. But somehow there was a thicker layer of something unnameable that almost hung like a dark cloud over the entire area.

"Naruto? Is there something wrong?"

Naruto smiled down at the dark-hair of the woman who'd thrown herself between him and a slew of those weird-looking plant people. She had saved him...in more ways than one...and he planned on making sure she never had to do that ever again. After all, once the battle was over, the two shared the first of many kisses, and Hinata had shared with Naruto the fact she'd cared for him since the first time she'd laid eyes on him.

Naruto, in turn, admitted to Hinata...and himself...that she was definitely one of his most precious people. Of course, once he'd admitted that, Hinata promptly fainted, which led to their second kiss, as the woman woke up while Naruto was trying to give her mouth to mouth.

"I'm okay, Hinata. But don't you think it's a little...I don't know...creepy around here?"

Hinata frowned at his words. "Creepy? Really?"

Naruto scratched at the back of his ear. "Well, maybe creepy isn't the word."

Hinata hummed to herself before speaking again. "It sadness."

Naruto stopped short, Hinata a step behind him. "That's it! Everybody looks sad!"

One slim hand lay on his arm. "Naruto, not so loud."

He felt the heat of embarrassment color his cheeks. "Right. Sorry about that."

They started walking again, this time in silence. Hinata slipped her fingers through Naruto's the closer they got to where Granny Tsunade had set up a tent to serve as a temporary Hokage's office. That vague feeling of sadness seemed to grow thicker the closer they got, so that by the time they had made it to the entrance of the tent, the two of them were almost afraid to walk through the flaps.

A flash of pale pink hair caught Naruto's eye, and as though she had sensed his eyes on her, Sakura turned to face him. A wide smile stretched across Naruto's face and he raised a hand in a two-fingered wave. Sakura's lips quirked into the shadow of a smile, and then her green eyes were cast down at the ground while her hands clasped in front of her. That reaction alone wiped the smile off his face, and a comforting squeeze of his hand made it clear to him that Hinata was as worried for his teammate as he was.

They continued until they were at her side, and when Sakura raised her face to meet Naruto's eyes, it was all too easy to see she'd been crying recently...especially by the look of the red-rimmed eyes and tear streaks staining her cheeks. Hinata instinctively released her hold on Naruto's hand just a moment before Sakura threw herself against him in a bone-crushing hug. The sobs that wracked Sakura's body felt like kunai to his heart, and he held her closer and rubbed his hand along her back, trying to soothe her.

Meanwhile, his mind was going a thousand miles a minute. Whatever happened that had placed such a cloud of sadness over the village must have been very personal to Sakura for her to be in such a state. He needed to find out what exactly had happened while he and Hinata had been traveling back. That thought in mind, Naruto gently pulled back from his friend.

"Hush now, Sakura. Whatever happened, we'll see you through it."

Sakura tried to wipe away the tears with the backs of her hands, but the evasive drops of salt water continued to fall. Naruto frowned, trying to think of just what might have happened to affect her so.

"Sakura, is Granny Tsunade alright?"

The slight bob of her pink hair made it clear the old hag was fine. But if it wasn't her mentor that was causing her such distress, then who was it? Naruto mentally ran down the list of people he knew were close to Sakura. He'd already seen most of the crew from their Academy days on the walk here. Some of them were a little worse for wear, but not enough to have caused Sakura to react like this. He knew it wasn't Neji, Kiba, or Shino, otherwise Hinata would be the one sobbing in his arms.

He was just about to ask Sakura some more questions when he felt Hinata tugging at his sleeve. He turned his head to stare down into her pale eyes and couldn't help smiling softly at his girlfriend. He'd almost forgotten what he was doing the longer he gazed into those pale eyes.

"Why is it that you can never manage to stick to a plan, Uzumaki? You were supposed to return here over three days ago!"

Naruto cringed at the far too familiar voice of the Fifth Hokage. But, before he could say a word, Hinata spoke up.

"That...that's my fault Hokage. Naruto wanted to come straight back...but...well...I asked him to wait for me to be released by the medics."

By this point Hinata's hands gripped the cloth of Naruto's sleeve, and her face was tinged nearly as red as Iruka-sensei's would get when he'd be caught pulling a prank. A sick feeling gripped his stomach and he turned back to where Sakura was still sniffling.

"Sakura, it's not Iruka-sensei, is it?"

Her eyes went wide for a moment before she she emphatically shook her head to let him know that wasn't it. Naruto let loose a long breath, thankful that his very first precious person was still safe.

He grinned as he turned to face the Hokage. "Sorry we're late, Granny Tsunade. But that's what you get for assigning me to Kakashi-sensei's team during my formative years!"

The grin slipped away the moment his eyes locked on the woman. Her eyes actually looked redder than Sakura's did, and she was biting on her lower lip as though she was trying to keep it from trembling.

"Oh, Naruto..." Sakura's shaky voice behind him made him think about what he'd just said that might have elicited such a reaction from them both.

That was when it hit him. With Pervy Sage already gone, there was only one person whose death would cause a village-wide sense of mourning, and affect both Sakura and the Hokage so deeply. He swallowed thickly as he spoke words that he truly hoped Sakura would say weren't true – like she had when he'd asked about Iruka-sensei.

"Has...has something happened to Kakashi-sensei?"

A soft sob came from behind him, while the Hokage gave him one sharp nod while biting her lip a bit harder. It was then that Naruto saw the tears running down Granny Tsunade's cheeks, and the realization of it all felt like someone knocked the wind out of him. He sank to the ground when his legs felt like soggy ramen, and a pained sob ripped its way from his throat.

Not Kakashi-sensei! It _couldn't _be true, could it? He tipped his head up toward the Hokage, hoping she'd say it was all just a joke...a sick, twisted joke. Instead, the big-breasted woman knelt in front of him and took him into her arms. Her words burned their way into his heart.

"He's gone, Naruto. I'm so, so sorry."

Naruto knew there were more words spoken to him after that. He saw Granny Tsunade and Sakura's mouths moving, after all. But he didn't hear them. He just couldn't get past the fact that the man he'd always looked up to...the man he'd thought was invincible...the man he had secretly wanted to be like was gone.

* * *

After they had taken Kakashi away, Daniel was left behind to sit and worry himself sick over just what was being done to the mysterious silver-haired man. And considering the many encounters he and SG-1 had lived through over the years, his mind was able to supply very graphic details for every scenario he came up with.

It had been hours since he'd been left alone, and he wasn't afraid to admit that his hopes for Kakashi getting free and breaking him out were quickly disappearing. He knew better than to think he could break out of this cell, and that meant all he was left with was countless hours spent thinking back on the others in his life that had been forced to be hosts for the Goa'uld.

Images of his wife, Sha're, and her brother Skaara as they were taken from him danced behind his eyes, and he wondered just what he must have done in a past life that was so bad that he had to suffer so much in this life. He closed his eyes and leaned his head into his palms, trying to stop the endless images in his mind.

The sound of the door opening caused Daniel to lift his head, hoping that perhaps Kakashi had beaten the odds and was here to set them both free. As usual, his hopes were wiped away at the sight of a handful of Jaffa glaring at him. The Jaffa at the front of the group stepped through the door and pointed his staff weapon toward him. That familiar hissing sound as the weapon was activated was followed by the usual command to pay attention.

"Kree! You are to come with us, Daniel Jackson."

Daniel frowned. He knew better than to argue or resist when there was a staff weapon pointed at his head. If it had been a Zat-gun, he might have thought differently, but even one hit from a staff weapon could kill if aimed at the right body part. So Daniel stood and slowly walked over to where the Jaffa were waiting for him. He was pushed into the center of the group and then they escorted him down halls that all looked the same. There were no markings depicting what section they were in, and Daniel found himself wondering about just who this Goa'uld was. He'd never met a Goa'uld that didn't mark every inch of their dwelling with gold, or hieroglyphs, or some egotistical reference to their greatness. But this place looked like it was wiped clean. That, or it was brand new and not completely finished yet.

Which, of course, only added to Daniel's uneasiness. This was the first time that he honestly had no clear idea of what might be the driving force behind the Goa'uld's actions. There hadn't been any real signs on that first planet that pointed toward this Goa'uld or anything close to a Jaffa occupation. Which normally would have made Daniel think this had all been just one big coincidence. But what blew that theory out of the water was the fact that these unknown Jaffa targeted him by name.

Daniel had been so preoccupied in his thoughts that he failed to notice that they'd arrived at their destination. But when Daniel heard a familiar voice speaking fluent Goa'uld, his heart dropped.

"Is this the man you told me about, Father?"

Daniel focused on where Kakashi was standing. The man's silver hair had been pulled back and plaited into a tail that sat close to his skull. He wore clothes that were definitely more for show than practicality, judging by the amount of gold threading and bead-work covering nearly every inch of the sleeveless tunic. Daniel mourned for the loss of his new friend, and his sadness was plain in the whispered name that passed his lips.

"Kakashi..."

The older Goa'uld placed his hand on his new son's shoulder. "There is no more Kakashi, Daniel Jackson. There is only my son."

Daniel shook his head, refusing to believe the man's words. "No, he's stronger than that!"

The laughter that came from the two men caused Daniel's blood to run cold. But not as much as what came next. The older Goa'uld handed Kakashi his hand-device and casually waved toward where Daniel was still standing.

"Do what you will with him, child. I know how much you used to enjoy playing with your pets in the past. Just make sure this one is dead when you are through."

A sick grin twisted Kakashi's features as he placed the device on his hand and moved purposefully across the room. Daniel's eyes locked with the man who had once been Kakashi and, in that instant, he saw the anticipation in the man's dark eyes. He refused to look anywhere else, even as the hand device was lifted over his head. Daniel saw the stone in its center begin to glow as it was activated, and he whispered into the silence before the device was fully activated.

"I'm glad I met you Kakashi. You seemed like a good man."

At the last moment, Daniel's eyes betrayed him and closed. His ears recognized the distinctive sound of the fully activated hand-device, and he braced himself for the pain that would surely follow. His last thought was how strange it was that he still had no name to place with this Goa'uld or his son.


	4. Escapes and Rescues

Chapter 4

Escapes and Rescues

Daniel felt the ground twist out from under his feet, which was definitely not a sensation he'd ever experienced from a hand device before. Where was the pain? Wasn't there supposed to be excruciating pain?

That strange sensation soon ended, and still there was no pain. Daniel could hear the sound of strained breathing in front of him, and then every muscle in his body tensed when unexpected words reached his ears.

"_Are you alright, Daniel? Can you run?"_

Those words were spoken in perfect Japanese, and the voice itself sounded exhausted. Cautiously, Daniel opened his eyes, expecting to see the hand device still hovering over his head. But instead, he saw a tired looking Kakashi staring at him with a concerned expression. Daniel didn't know what to think, especially when he focused beyond the man and realized they were no longer within the walls of the Goa'uld's stronghold. No, they were just outside it.

He wondered if this was what the Goa'uld had meant when he'd said his son preferred to play with his pets. Perhaps this was just an elaborate ruse to make Daniel run off, only to then be hunted down by the Goa'uld later. After all, there were texts he'd uncovered during his decades of research that spoke of some medieval ruling families that did just that sort of thing. They called it 'Blood-sport,' and would create festivals glorifying the entire thing. Daniel was shaken out of his rambling thoughts when he felt a hand grip his shoulder and shake him a bit.

"_Really, Daniel, if you're going to have a nervous breakdown, your timing could be better."_

Daniel blinked a couple of times. "What?"

Kakashi smirked at him before answering him in perfect English. "Like I said, Daniel. Run now...breakdown later. They'll figure out what I did soon, and I'd rather we were far from here by then."

Daniel narrowed his gaze in suspicion of the man in front of him. "How can I trust you?"

Kakashi sighed. "I'm not asking you to trust me. I'm asking you to run. Trust can come later. But until then, maybe this will help."

Daniel tensed when Kakashi lifted up the arm that was still wearing the hand device. But instead of using it on him, he took it off and offered it to Daniel. "From what I gathered from the snake in my head, I can probably do more damage without this thing."

Daniel frowned at that, but before he could manage to get a single word out, Kakashi grabbed him by the elbow and started leading him away from the entrance of the Goa'uld stronghold. When Daniel tried to pull free, Kakashi's grip grew tighter.

"I'll answer all your questions once we get the hell away from here, Daniel. I promise."

"Oh, I feel so much better now." He didn't bother keeping the sarcasm out of his words.

They continued moving in silence for nearly an hour before Kakashi finally let them take a break. Or more to the point, it was likely the silver-haired man had realized that Daniel was in desperate need of a break. And at the moment, he certainly wasn't going to complain. His lungs were aching from what started as a brisk walk and ended up being an all-out run. Meanwhile, one quick look at where Kakashi was leaning against a tree showed Daniel that the man, while looking exhausted, wasn't even breathing hard.

Daniel ran his hands through his sweat-soaked hair and glanced back the way they came. "So are you going to bother telling me why we didn't just run straight to the Stargate so we could get the hell off this world?"

Kakashi rubbed at the scar over his closed left eye before he settled onto the ground. "You don't trust me very much, do you Daniel?"

He rolled his eyes. "According to Jack, I have a gift for trusting the wrong people. I'm trying to break the habit."

Kakashi chuckled. "That's fair enough. So, go ahead."

Daniel frowned. "Go ahead?"

A smirk crossed Kakashi's lips as he folded his hands behind his head. "I know you're full of questions for me. So, go ahead. We should still have a handful of minutes before we need to move on."

Daniel shook his head. "I don't even know where to start. No, wait...how about the obvious?"

Kakashi's eyebrows raised. "Ah, do you want to know who styled my hair?"

He glared at the man. "How about you tell me just how you managed to avoid being taken over by the Goa'uld? Assuming you really have avoided it. Which, considering we haven't been speaking Japanese for quite some time, I'm not necessarily ready to believe."

"So you noticed that, did you?" Kakashi shrugged. "Actually, I didn't avoid being taken over."

Daniel tensed at the man's words and tried to think of some way to escape. Meanwhile, Kakashi held his hands up in a placating manner.

"Easy there, Daniel. Let me finish. I _was_ taken over...at first. And may I just say that it was definitely one of the most unpleasant experiences I've ever had."

Daniel narrowed his eyes. "What are you saying, Kakashi? That the Goa'uld didn't like the taste of your brain, so it just left?"

"I wouldn't quite put it that way, Daniel. So do you understand what happens when the Goa'uld enters a body?"

Daniel frowned and had to suppress a shiver as the memories of seeing what had become of Sha're when she was taken by the Goa'uld played across his mind. "Considering I lost my wife because of it, Kakashi, yes...I'm very aware of what happens."

The man's eyes went wide at his words. "Forgive me, Daniel. I wasn't aware of that."

Daniel let loose a long sigh. "Yeah, well it's not something I bring up all that often if I can avoid it. So, you were about to tell me what happened, weren't you?"

"Right. When the Goa'uld first forced itself into my body, it made its way to my spine at the base of my skull. Through those forced connections, it was able to instantly control my motor functions and my speech, but it had yet to attempt to harness my mind."

Daniel furrowed his brow. Up until this point, he had always assumed the Goa'uld had complete control of its host from the very first moment. The idea that Sha're's discomfort might have been for far longer than he had previously guessed left a sour taste in his mouth.

"You could actually tell what it was doing to you, Kakashi?"

"Yes, Daniel. But I believe it may have been because, as a shinobi, I am much more attuned with the inner workings of my body than most people are."

That did little to erase the unease in his heart, but at least it gave him a tiny bit of solace for his wife. Daniel took a steadying breath before posing his next question. "I'm still not clear on how you managed to free yourself if the Goa'uld had already taken up residence in your body."

Kakashi's eyes closed, and Daniel feared he'd be seeing the tell-tale glow of the Goa'uld once the man opened them again. But when those lids lifted, all he saw was sheer exhaustion reflected in a set of mismatched eyes – one dark gray and the other a dull red. Kakashi closed his left eye before focusing the gray one back onto Daniel's face.

"Honestly, I didn't do anything in particular. The creature tried to tap into my chakra pathways in its attempt to tame me, I suppose. Whatever its reason was, I don't think it was expecting to have an adverse reaction to the chakra flowing through my body. My natural affinity is the element of lightning. From what I've gleaned from the remnants of its essence, the very nature of my chakra was enough to trigger an immediate cascade failure within the creature's system."

Daniel rubbed the palms of his hands across his pants. "I really wish Sam was here. She'd probably understand everything you just said. Maybe, if we live long enough, you can teach me a bit more about how your chakra alone is enough to destroy a Goa'uld."

Kakashi smirked at him once more. "When we have made it to safety, Daniel, we can discuss this further. But for now, we really need to get moving again. Are you rested enough?"

"I guess I'll have to be. What's the plan?"

A mischievous grin tugged at Kakashi's lips. "This may sound a bit strange, Daniel, but I'd like you to climb onto my back so we can cover a bit more ground."

Daniel stared at Kakashi, waiting for the punchline. When none came, he scratched his head in confusion. "Let me get this straight. You want to give me a piggyback ride?"

"Yup." That said, Kakashi turned his back toward Daniel and crouched down to make it easier for him to get on. "Trust me just this little bit, Daniel. You won't regret it."

Daniel sighed and mumbled his response. "Something tells me that this will likely be the smallest of my regrets by the time this nightmare is finished."

"That's the spirit. Now make sure you hold on."

Daniel did as Kakashi had instructed, and he positioned himself in a proper piggyback position. He had to hold back a gasp as the memory of the last time he'd been carried in such a manner assaulted his mind. It had been the day his parents had died at the museum. His father had carried him into the building amid the laughter and excitement of the display his parents were assembling that day. It had been the last time he'd ever seen his parents so carefree...considering they had died later that very day.

Kakashi must have taken his silence as acceptance of his words, because the next thing Daniel knew, the long-limbed man took off at such a speed that it made their previous run seem like a Sunday stroll. The landscape became a blur to Daniel's eyes, and when Kakashi suddenly leaped up into the branches of a nearby tree, he instinctively tightened his hold around the man's neck. Kakashi paused just long enough to adjust Daniel's death-grip on him before launching them to another branch in a different tree.

By the time Kakashi stopped on the branch of one of the hundreds of trees they'd traveled by, Daniel's heart was racing. Kakashi slowly squatted on the branch and waited for him to climb off of his back. The moment Daniel's feet hit the surface, he pushed his back against the trunk of the tree and dug his fingers into the bark in the hopes of not falling off the narrow piece of wood.

Meanwhile, Kakashi stood on the branch and stretched casually. Although the man had worked up a sweat this time around, it was quite obvious that he was completely at home amidst the branches of the trees. Daniel slowly allowed his back to slide down the trunk until he was sitting awkwardly with his bent knees pulled up against his chest.

* * *

The look on Daniel's face as he slid down the trunk of the tree was almost enough to make Kakashi laugh. But one look into the man's blue eyes made it crystal clear that now was not the time for such an action. So, instead, Kakashi sank into a cross-legged position in front of him and waited for the look of absolute terror to lessen a bit before speaking to him.

"Daniel, by now Resheph has realized we didn't go to the gate and will be sending out groups of Jaffa throughout the surrounding area in overlapping search grids to try to track us down."

Daniel's eyes held the edges of confusion in them. "Who?"

Kakashi had to remind himself that he had yet to share the more intimate knowledge of the Goa'uld that he'd absorbed from the dying symbiote within his body. He sighed, and tried again.

"Resheph is the name of the lead snake. Anyhow, from what I've been able to make out from Monthu's memories, it's the standard reaction for his father when any of his 'pets' get loose."

At last, Daniel seemed to find his voice. "Pets, huh? As if this guy wasn't sick enough..."

Kakashi rubbed a hand along his neck. "Yeah, well let's just avoid being caught by him, okay? Neither of us would enjoy what past escapees received as punishment once they were caught."

Daniel frowned at him. "You've been able to remember that much?"

He shrugged. "It's no worse than my own memories, I suppose. Anyhow, by now there should only be a small contingent guarding the gate."

"Does that mean another jaunt through the branches?"

This time, Kakashi did chuckle at the expression of abject horror on the man's face. "Not quite, Daniel. We're very close to the gate already. I've been circling our way back there for quite some time now. You'll just have to deal with a short trip."

The relief was plain on the man's face. "Glad to hear it. No offense, Kakashi, but I really do prefer to have my feet on solid ground if I can help it at all."

He laughed once more before turning to offer up his back again. "Duly noted. So what do you need once we make it to the gate.?"

Daniel climbed onto his back and settled his arms around Kakashi's neck. "Well, there's a DHD there, that's a good start. But I don't have my GDO, so getting back to the SGC is going to take some doing. But I think I can remember the gate address to a friendly world, and from there I can try to reach out to Jack or General Hammond."

Kakashi hadn't heard that many abbreviations used in a single sentence since his days at the Academy. Still, it didn't take a genius to figure out Daniel was saying that he could get them to safety if they could just get to the Stargate in one piece. With that thought firmly in place, Kakashi pushed off from the branch and headed toward the gate.

When they were closer to the target, Kakashi returned them to ground level and waited for Daniel to climb off his back. He used some of the basic hand-signals that all brand new genin just graduating from the Academy would learn, and was pleased to see that Daniel seemed to understand the need for him to stay put while Kakashi scouted ahead. However, before he could leave, Daniel took his outer shirt off and held it out to Kakashi.

Biting back the urge to make some Icha Icha worthy comment about the move, Kakashi recognized the merit in such a gesture. He quickly removed the garish tunic that the snake in his head had placed on his body, and gladly exchanged it for the drab-colored uniform shirt in Daniel's hand. The fit wasn't perfect, but at least he shouldn't stick out like a bejeweled freak while he was attempting to remain hidden.

Daniel nodded his approval and then moved back until he was more or less hidden by the nearby trees. Kakashi drew in a calming breath and then headed toward where he knew the stone ring stood. A part of him would have felt better if he'd had his weapons pouch with him, but his mind quickly supplied at least two dozen methods of dispatching the Jaffa with nothing more than his hands. Add to that the fact he should have the element of surprise on his side, and his success was nearly assured. Still, there were far too many unknown factors in this strange environment to allow himself to relax quite yet.

The closer to the Stargate he went, the more Kakashi found himself sifting through the memories left behind by the Goa'uld which had hoped to use him as a host. Among those snippets of unfamiliar thoughts, he came across the basics on how best to kill the Jaffa while ensuring the parasites within them were unable to escape. Because, if there was one thing Kakashi knew for certain, it was that he never wanted to experience the pain and fear he'd felt when that snake pierced the back of his neck and managed to take control of him, even if it was short-lived.

He wondered briefly if that sense of helplessness was something that Naruto felt when dealing with the Kyuubi trapped within his body. If he ever saw the kid again, he planned to have a long talk with him about that, and so much more. But for now, Kakashi needed to stay focused on his current mission...taking out anyone guarding the Stargate.

He took up position to one side of the clearing which held the Stargate and frowned when he saw that there were actually ten of the Jaffa scattered nearby. That was nearly double the number the memories in his head claimed were normal in such situations. Meaning that any of the memories from that creature would need to be taken at less than face value. He quickly recalculated his plan of attack to take the additional Jaffa into account, and to keep from expending too much more of his current store of chakra. The transportation jutsu he'd used to remove himself and Daniel from the Goa'uld's stronghold had used a moderate amount of his chakra, and by the look of things, he wasn't going to get the chance to rest enough to restore more than an eighth of it anytime soon.

To make matters worse, there was only a limited time-frame to carry out his attack before the Jaffa searching throughout the area would be heading back toward this central location. So if this plan was to have any chance of success at all, Kakashi needed to move...now.

His fingers moved at lightning speed through the a series of hand-signs he could remember using during Team Seven's first bell test. He could still clearly recall the shocked and angry face of Sasuke Uchiha as he was caught so soundly. But he couldn't afford to reminisce about that disbanded team at the moment, so he pushed that memory back into the darkest parts of his mind even as he finished the last sign.

One moment, two of the larger Jaffa were standing side by side in front of the DHD, and the next moment they were both pulled deep under ground until all that was visible of their massive bodies were their heads. Before the two behemoths could do more than grunt in surprise, Kakashi pushed sharply against pressure points that would hopefully take their consciousness away from them. He released a slow breath of relief when the two went slack, and was pleased to note that these aliens shared at least some of the basics with his own race.

Before he could celebrate for too long, he heard the sound of another of the Jaffa approaching from the other side of the Stargate. The fingers of Kakashi's left hand twisted into another basic hand-sign and from one moment to the next he disappeared from where he was and then reappeared directly behind that approaching soldier. He made a grab for the Jaffa's belt knife, but this one must have somehow sensed him as the dark-skinned man spun toward him, wielding his staff weapon in such a way that Kakashi had to abort his attempt. He sprang into a backwards somersault in order to avoid having the butt-end of that staff connect with his chin.

Before Kakashi had managed to slide to a full stop, the Jaffa was already moving toward him while spinning the weapon in such a way that it was clear that the man was quite skilled in fighting close-quarters. Fortunately for Kakashi, he was just as skilled at such a style. So when the Jaffa's well-aimed swing was within inches of slamming into the side of his head, Kakashi smoothly dodged the strike. A single sidestep, and a crouching spin, brought him in close enough to the Jaffa that the staff no longer provided an advantage, and it allowed Kakashi the chance to relieve his enemy of the knife that had been his original target all along.

The fury in the Jaffa's dark eyes did nothing to make the man's fighting form sloppy, and Kakashi found himself on the defensive again as the man turned on his heel to attack once more. The Jaffa now combined his staff swings with sweeping kicks, lunges, flips and strikes, and Kakashi smiled to himself as his every move was being skillfully met. It had been quite some time since he'd fought with anyone who could match his style of fighting, and his respect for the battle prowess of his foe grew even as he slid under the man's guard just long enough to push the pilfered blade in a chakra-enhanced thrust. That blade pierced through the body armor and into the area which the memories of the dead Goa'uld showed as the only way to ensure death for both the immature Goa'uld and the Jaffa that carried it.

Kakashi pulled the blade free of the body with a twist, and saw the light leave the Jaffa's eyes as he fell heavily to the ground. Kakashi deftly tucked the blade into the waistband of his pants, and gripped the fallen Jaffa's staff-weapon. By the time he'd stood back up, he was positioned between two more of the Jaffa. They each leveled their activated staff-weapon in his direction.

"Surrender yourself now, infidel! Or die where you stand."

Kakashi raised his own weapon up with one hand while the other slipped into another hand-sign. At the movement, three things happened at nearly the same instant: the two Jaffa fired their weapons at him; Kakashi completed a jutsu that any jonin worth their salt was always ready to use at a moment's notice; the third Jaffa that was just now coming from in front of the Stargate switched places with Kakashi, to be shot down in his stead.

Before they other two Jaffa could react to what had happened, Kakashi pressed the activation button on the staff-weapon in his own hands and swiftly fired it at them. When the bodies fell heavily to the ground, Kakashi spun on his heel to locate his next prey. But before he could spot any more Jaffa, the sound of the stone ring spinning captured his attention. Seemingly random symbols lit at varying spots around the outer ring, and with instincts that weren't entirely his own, he threw himself bodily to the side a second before the spire of water-like energy sprang out from within the Stargate's center, before it was sucked back in to settle into that deceptively calm looking circle of glowing light.

If Kakashi had remained where he'd been standing moments before, the spire of energy would have engulfed him, and he knew for certain that it would have meant his death. He crouched to the side expecting more Jaffa to step out to overpower him. But he wasn't given the chance to see much of anything when staff blasts landing just behind him helped to refocus his mind on the fact that he still had another handful of the original Jaffa to contend with before this was over.

Kakashi leaped behind the platform that held the Stargate just as another round of fire was headed his way. Once behind a bit of cover, he took a quick moment to size up the known enemy. He saw three of them directly in front of him using a constant barrage of staff blasts to keep him pinned down where he was. Meanwhile, he spied two more moving into flanking positions on either side of the Stargate.

Kakashi admitted to himself that this would likely be quite a sound offense against the average enemy. But what he was about to do would prove to just about anyone that he was most definitely not the average enemy. He set his own staff-weapon onto the ground, and he crossed two fingers of each hand in front of him. He channeled the needed chakra into the multiple shadow-clone jutsu, and a moment later there were four more of him crouched beside him.

Kakashi handed one of them the knife, while another one picked up the staff-weapon. Then he motioned for the two unarmed clones to act as distractions by running off to either side of the stone ring. While the two Jaffa flanking him were occupied by those diversionary clones, the other two made their moves to dispatch the enemy with their borrowed weapons. Meanwhile, Kakashi wove his fingers deftly into a long series of signs until he was ready to release the jutsu in the direction of the remaining three Jaffa.

He took a deep breath before channeling the needed chakra over his tongue and blowing it out through his pursed lips. Using two fingers from his right hand to guide and focus that chakra as it flowed out of him, Kakashi formed what had always been one of the trademark jutsu for the entire Uchiha clan – the Giant Fireball.

Flames billowed away from him until they encased those three Jaffa completely. By the time the last scream died away with the flames, Kakashi was forced to release his clone jutsu, or run the risk of chakra depletion. To his great displeasure, the combination of back-to-back jutsu placed far more strain onto his body and his chakra pathways than they should have. So now, he found himself struggling to keep upright just as the first body stepped out of the Stargate.

As he'd feared, the golden symbol emblazoned across the bald head marked this man as Jaffa, almost as much as the staff-weapon held so expertly within his hands. However, at the moment, Kakashi was having trouble bringing that symbol fully into focus. But something about this newly arrived Jaffa seemed different...until he leveled his weapon at Kakashi's chest, that is.

Just as Kakashi was readying himself to attempt to dodge a shot that would likely end his bid for freedom, he heard shouting coming from the wooded area where he'd left Daniel. Kakashi tried to turn his head and shout a warning to the man, but his muscles seemed to be refusing to listen to him anymore. The last thing he saw before collapsing to the ground was his fellow prisoner placing himself in between Kakashi and the newly arrived Jaffa.

* * *

Jack stepped out of the Stargate ready to fight his way through an army of Jaffa in order to rescue the missing member of SG-1. So imagine his surprise when the moment he was clear of the event horizon, his eyes landed on the very goal of this mission. Of course, like usual, Daniel was standing between a staff-weapon and a stranger.

Lucky for Daniel, that staff-weapon belonged to Teal'c, or the kid would probably have a new scar to add to his growing collection. Jack quickly scanned the immediate area as he stepped down the stairs to make room for Carter and the rest of the hastily formed rescue team. He would have needed to have been blind to miss the still-smoldering pile of bodies to the side. Or the two heads that looked like they were sprouting from the ground just a few scant feet in front of him.

Jack pushed any questions about the bizarre scene to the side and shifted his attention back to the wayward archaeologist who was still staring down Teal'c. "Oh, for Pete's sake, Daniel...he isn't going to shoot. Right, T?"

Slowly, Teal'c lowered his staff-weapon and frowned. "It is good to see you, Daniel Jackson. But who is this man, and why is he wearing your shirt?"

Jack did a double-take at that one, and turned to take a closer look at the silver-haired man who was lying in a heap behind Daniel. Sure enough, that man was wearing Danny's uniform shirt. He turned his attention toward the kid again and rubbed one hand along the back of his neck.

"Why do I get the feeling you've picked up another stray, Daniel?"

Daniel glanced back at the man on the ground and seemed to only just realize he was unconscious. His eyes went wide and he quickly knelt beside the man and checked for a pulse before glaring back up at Jack.

"He's not a stray, Jack."

"Right, Danny...whatever you say."

Sam's voice cut through the air. "Colonel, I think we should really get out of here before someone comes. We can listen to Daniel's story at the Beta-site and get his friend some first-aid."

Jack wanted to argue with the woman's logic, but it was flawless...as usual. He sighed dramatically and turned to face the rest of the team. "Well, you heard her, gang. Let's dial up the address already, before whoever took Danny in the first place comes looking for him."

Jack saw Daniel throw a silent thanks Carter's way before he tried to get the unconscious man up off of the ground. Teal'c must have decided the stranger wasn't an immediate threat, because he swiftly handed his staff weapon to Jack before moving to lift the unknown man easily into his arms. As he was lifted up, the man's head tipped back revealing the fact that this man was likely closer to Daniel's age than Jack's. He was actually surprised to see such a young face behind all that silver hair, but he'd need to wait to ask any more questions until they were off this world.

"Dial it up, Carter! It's time to get the heck outta here."

"Yes sir!"

The sound of spinning stone and the cosmic flush that Jack had grown to expect over the years couldn't have come at a better time. The shouts of numerous Jaffa converging on the clearing meant that they had most definitely worn out their welcome once again. On the bright side, at least they didn't have to fill out the extra paperwork that always came when they'd had to fire their P-90s off-world.

"Okay, boys and girls. It's time to get the heck outta Dodge."

Teal'c turned his head toward him as he paused at the rim of the Stargate. "I was not aware that you knew this world's name, O'Neill. Have you been to Dodge before?"

Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head. "It's just an expression, T."

Teal'c raised his eyebrow in that way that made it clear that he thought Jack was insane, and then the Jaffa stepped through the Stargate without another word. Jack smiled after the man and took one final look at the area before stepping into the ring himself. The last thing he saw was the glowing eyes of one pissed off Snake-head who had just stepped into the clearing.

The moment he cleared the Stargate on the other end, Jack was glad to see the event horizon shut down. He quickly stepped away from the ring while Carter dialed up the next gate address. If they had rescued just Daniel, at this point they'd be dialing home, but considering the stray Danny had picked up, protocol meant they had to use a secondary site to clear the man first.

Which meant, of course, that Jack would be missing another day of fishing at his cabin. At this rate, he'd be lucky if he managed to get back up there before the winter settled in. He ran a hand through his short-cropped hair and sighed. Once again he wondered just how different his life would have been if he'd just stay retired.

Oh well. At least he'd have great stories to tell at the old folks home someday. Jack smirked. Of course he'd have to kill anyone he told them to.

"Jack?"

Daniel's quiet voice interrupted his dreams of old age. He turned to see the man fiddling with his glasses, and he braced himself for a sappy comment in three...two...one...

"Thanks for coming after me."

And there it was. Leave it to Daniel to go and turn a by-the-book rescue mission into something personal. So now all Jack had to do was find a way out of the awkward silence without sounding too corny. A low groan from the man in Teal's arms afforded Jack the distraction he so desperately hoped for.

"So, Daniel. Who's your stray?"

He watched Daniel turn a concerned gaze toward the stranger. "It's a long story, Jack. But he's a friend."

Jack frowned at that remark. A friend, hmm? Well, he'd see about that. Until this guy had been thoroughly checked out, he was going to keep a close eye on him. After all, he still needed answers about just how those Jaffa had ended up planted in the ground. And as he'd never witnessed Daniel having such a remarkable gardening skill, it sort of figured that this new guy must know just how that, and the Jaffa campfire, had come about.

The Stargate activated once more, and the entire crew stepped through to the Beta-site. Once the field team posted there had Danny and his new friend checked out by the medics, he'd make sure he was in on the debriefing. After all, it was only proper that he gets to know Daniel's friends, right?


	5. The Downside of Being a Genius

Chapter 5

The Downside of Being a Genius

The steady cadence of mechanical beeping pulled Kakashi out of the comfortable darkness of unconsciousness. He could feel the cold wires stretching across his body and connecting him to the source of the far too familiar sound, and for the briefest moment he thought he was back in Konoha in that hell-spot of a hospital. But all thoughts of Konoha left him when he failed to smell the usual antiseptic stench that only Tsunade's special mix of cleansers could create. Instead, he smelled wet canvas and, strangely enough, strong coffee.

The unfamiliar juxtaposition of those smells was more than enough to remind Kakashi that he was far, far from Konoha, and for the first time in his life, he found himself actually missing the annoying white walls of that familiar hospital. Of course, at the same time, those aromas told him that he was no longer where he'd passed out either. There were quiet voices surrounding where he was laying, and it didn't take him long to identify that Daniel Jackson was among the speakers. And by the relative ease within that man's voice, it was clear to him that they were no longer among the Goa'uld. The obvious question for Kakashi was just where were they now?

He decided to keep up the ruse of sleep and took the opportunity to listen in on the conversation around him. It wasn't long before their topic of discussion moved to him. The first to voice their opinion of his presence was a woman who sounded as though she knew what she was talking about.

"Colonel, if there was still a live Goa'uld in this man then Teal'c and I would be feeling something much stronger than what we are. I'm not saying that we should consider him friendly quite yet, Sir, but I'm curious about just how he might have managed keeping himself from being completely taken. That kind of information could help others who have had the misfortune of falling into the Goa'uld's hands down the road."

"I don't know, Carter. Something about this guy seems off." The distrust in this man's voice put Kakashi on edge, but before he could worry too much about it, Daniel's words seemed to counter that sentiment.

"Jack, you're always the one telling me not to look for trouble when we meet new races, right?"

"What's your point, Daniel?"

"I'm telling you that I trust Kakashi. Why isn't that enough for you?"

A new voice entered the conversation, and Kakashi couldn't help but tense at his words. "Daniel Jackson, you can not ignore the fact that the Goa'uld have used others before to attempt to destroy the SGC."

The woman chimed in with her own thoughts. "He's right. How do we know this guy isn't carrying some biological compound within his body that won't trigger until we get back home?"

Daniel's frustrated sigh made it clear he was losing patience with these people. "You're kidding, right? I thought you wanted to learn how he had managed to fry the Goa'uld?"

Teal'c responded instead of the woman. "The Goa'uld have used such deception before, Daniel Jackson. It is probable that Nirrti was not the only Goa'uld to use such a method."

The uneasy silence after that comment made it clear to Kakashi that, whatever it was that they were talking about, it had affected them all seriously. When Daniel eventually spoke again, there was a tone in his voice that spoke volumes for the past they must have shared.

"So what do we do then? How can we be sure he isn't another time-bomb?" He heard Daniel expel a deep breath before continuing on. "Where do we draw the line, Jack? How do we figure out who gets to go to the SGC, and who doesn't?"

"Come off it, Daniel. You're acting like this guy didn't have a snake it his head!"

"So what if he did? Sam's had one in _her_ head before, but that doesn't bar her from the SGC, does it?"

The woman reentered the conversation. "To be fair, Jolinar wasn't a Goa'uld. She was Tok'ra."

"But you didn't give her permission to meld with you, did you? How is that any different than what happened to Kakashi?"

Jack's disbelief colored his words. "You've got to be kidding me! Okay, I know I'm the first one on the band wagon when it comes to distrusting the Tok'ra, but saying Carter and this guy are on the same level is stretching it just a bit, isn't it?"

By this point, the volume in the tent had reached such a volume that Kakashi figured it was time to become part of the chaos. He made a point to groan a bit as he struggled to sit up, and as he'd expected, all talk about him ended abruptly once they had heard him. He noticed three looks of distrust and one of relief focused toward him.

Daniel walked over to him with a genuine smile on his face. "How are you feeling?"

So, the man was going to act like they all weren't just discussing him...Kakashi could work with that. He chose his words carefully.

"Considering I've recently had a snake in my head, I'm feeling pretty good."

Kakashi couldn't help but notice the scowl on the face of one of the uniformed men standing off to the side. He'd figured that one must be who the woman kept referring to as 'Colonel,' and who Daniel called 'Jack.' That man met his eye, and it was clear in that instant that this was the man making the decisions that mattered for this group.

* * *

Daniel watched Jack stare down Kakashi while making the not-so-subtle show of power by pulling his P-90 in front of his body with his finger near the trigger. He rolled his eyes at Jack's never-ending attempt to prove his alpha-male tendencies in every first contact meeting they'd ever been involved in. No matter how many times Daniel had stressed the need to present a friendly face to new races or civilizations, Jack always managed to make his job of diplomacy that much harder.

Fortunately, Kakashi didn't seem phased by the show at all. In fact, if Daniel had to describe the look on the silver-haired man's face at the moment, he'd have to say he looked downright bored. But one thing he had noticed since meeting this man was that his appearance rarely matched what was going on in his head.

So when a look of discomfort crossed Kakashi's normally neutral expression, Daniel knew something was definitely wrong. He placed one hand on the man's shoulder.

"What's wrong, Kakashi?"

Silver brows knotted in what looked to be pain and, if possible, the man's pale complexion grew even paler. "I may have spoken too soon."

Daniel turned back toward where the remainder of SG-1 was watching from the sidelines. "Sam! Help him...please!"

Even as those words left his lips, Daniel felt Kakashi shudder under his touch. A pained groan was heard a moment before the man hunched over, as though trying to fight through whatever was happening to him. Meanwhile Jack and Teal'c raised their weapons and pointed them toward Kakashi. Daniel frowned at the men.

"Really Jack? Isn't that carrying things just a little too far?"

"You tell me. Because from where I'm standing it sure as heck looks like the guys about to go all snakey again."

Daniel glowered at the Colonel and turned his attention to where Sam was trying to coax Kakashi back onto the mattress. She looked up into Daniel's eyes with a frown.

"How long ago did he say the Goa'uld...umm...left him?"

At first he couldn't understand why she was asking him instead of Kakashi. But one look at the man showed that there was no way he'd be answering questions any time soon. He looked to be in absolute agony. Daniel thought back on the events and ran his hands through his hair.

"He never said the Goa'uld left him." The sound of Teal'c's staff weapon activating, and Jack cocking his P-90 sent a shiver up Daniel's spine. "He said his chakra fried the thing. I think it's still in him...it's just not living anymore. Why? Does that have something to do with why he's in so much pain?"

Sam's frown deepened. "Daniel, I think he's being poisoned by the Goa'uld's body."

"What? Isn't there anything you can do for him?"

He watched her eyes shift to where Kakashi was lying, every muscle in his body seeming to tense at once. "This is way over my head, Daniel. I just don't know enough about Goa'uld physiology to really even know where to start."

Another pained groan left Kakashi's lips and Daniel spun to where Jack and Teal'c were only just lowering their weapons. "Teal'c, is there anything you can tell us about this?"

The Jaffa walked over to join them and stared down into Kakashi's face. "There have been stories told in the homes of the Free Jaffa that tell of the Goa'uld's ability to chose whether they take their hosts with them in death. I have never heard of such a thing happening this long after the Goa'uld has expired. I cannot help him, Daniel Jackson."

"Dammit...then who _can_ help him? I refuse to believe he survived that whole ordeal just to die now!" He turned back to where Sam was wiping the sweat now covering Kakashi's brow away with a damp cloth. "Sam, what about your dad...or Selmak?"

Jack stepped over to join them, and by the look on his face, even he didn't want to see Kakashi suffering like this. "You're willing to trust his life to the Tok'ra? After all the times they've let us down?"

Daniel closed his eyes against the overwhelming urge to yell at the Colonel. "Jack, this man saved my life back there. I can't just let him die if there's another choice."

"I'm just saying, Danny..."

Surprisingly, Sam stepped in. "What are you saying, Colonel? That you don't trust my Dad?"

A grin tugged at Daniel's lips at her words, and when he opened his eyes again he saw by the look on Jack's face that the older man definitely recognized the fact he'd just stepped in it...big time.

"I'm not saying that, Carter. It's just that we don't normally call in your Dad for something like this."

Daniel shook his head at the man. "Jack, we've never _had_ a situation like this. And besides, isn't Jacob at the SGC for the next week? Unless I've completely lost track of time, he's on Earth for a summit meeting with some of the Washington big-wigs, isn't he?"

Jack frowned at him. "No one was supposed to know about that, Daniel."

"Sorry, but I saw him on the rosters for the guest quarters before I left. I figured that was why the General gave you guys this week off."

Sam put in her two cents. "Colonel, he's right. Dad is scheduled to be there for at least another four days. And I'd feel a lot better if Selmak took a look at Kakashi before it's too late."

Jack rolled his eyes at her. "So now its 'Kakashi?' What happened to thinking he might be another time bomb?"

"Sir, if we take precautions and place him in the lower levels of the SGC then the risks would be minimal."

Daniel felt a faint spark of hope enter his chest. "Please, Jack. I owe him at least that much."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, for Pete's sake. You two make it sound like _I'm_ the villain here. Aren't you forgetting the fact that this guy had a _snake_ in his head?"

Daniel steeled himself to counter Jack's argument. "If we don't at least try this, what makes us any better than the Goa'uld?"

"Now that's just a low blow, Daniel. This is _nothing_ like what those bastards would do, and you know it!"

"Isn't it? Since when do we willingly let a person suffer when there might be a way to stop it? And what if he's got information that could help us get rid of them once and for all? Are you willing to let that potential go, Jack?"

When the Colonel pushed his P-90 back to rest at his side, Daniel knew he'd won before a single word left the man's mouth.

"Fine! Let's bring him back to the SGC. But I swear to God, Daniel, if this goes to hell it's gonna be _your_ ass on the line, got it?"

Daniel smiled. "Whatever you say, Jack."

Sam caught his attention with a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I don't suppose you know if he's allergic to any meds?"

Daniel looked at her in astonishment. "Umm, no Sam. That particular topic never came up while we were in the cell."

She sighed at him. "Okay then. I'm going to give him something for the pain and hope for the best."

A quick glance at Kakashi made it clear that his friend was beyond caring what Sam did at this point. Still, considering what Daniel had seen back on that last planet with Kakashi's fight with the Jaffa, it might be a good idea to at least make sure the man knew Sam wasn't trying to hurt him. So he leaned close to Kakashi's ear and placed what he'd hoped was a comforting hand on the man's shoulder.

"Sam's going to give you some medicine to help dull the pain a little, okay?"

Kakashi's mismatched eyes opened, and after a few moments they seemed to focus on him. The silver head nodded in what Daniel hoped was an acknowledgment to his words. Daniel conveyed the okay to Sam, and he cringed at the hiss that came from Kakashi's lips as she pushed a nearly full syringe of meds into the man's arm.

"We'll know if it worked in just a few minutes Daniel."

Before her words were even finished, he watched Kakashi's taut muscles start to relax, and the look of absolute pain lessened on the man's face. Daniel released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and then he smiled back at Sam.

"Thanks for helping him."

She shook her head at him. "That won't last very long, Daniel. Let's just hope that Dad can help him, okay?"

He frowned at that thought and turned to see that Jack had his business face on once more. And by the sound of his voice, it was clear he was ready to end this little adventure.

"Okay, kids. Let's get this guy set to ship out already. Daniel, dial it up so we can make sure Hammond agrees with the plan."

At those words, Teal'c helped Sam secure Kakashi onto a stretcher, while he and Jack headed toward where the DHD was waiting. With luck, they'd all be home soon, and Jacob and Selmak would be able to reverse whatever the hell it was that was happening to Kakashi. After all, there were far too many questions he wanted to ask the man about wherever it is that he came from. And then there were all the conversations he had planned on having with him about just what a shinobi was, and how his chakra differed so much from his own. Then maybe he'd also be able to ask Kakashi about what he'd witnessed during that fight with the Jaffa. After all, it wasn't everyday that he saw someone breathe fire that was able to barbecue a group of Jaffa.

* * *

Jacob had finally finished the last meeting scheduled with the Washington bureaucrats, and was heading back to his rooms when the lights flashed red in the corridor and the intercom activated. "Unscheduled off-world activation!"

Curious, despite himself, Jacob changed his direction and followed the route to where the Control Room was housed. He knew that if it was something truly dangerous that the security posted throughout the base would have turned him away. Still, he hadn't expected to have one of the sergeants from that room rushing around the corridor and skidding to a stop right in front of him.

"Easy there, son. What's got you in such a rush?"

"Sir, the General sent me to find you. Follow me, please."

Jacob raised his eyebrows at that one. Why the heck would he need to be summoned to the Control Room? A soft caress against his mind made it clear that his symbiote was wondering the same thing. After all, they weren't scheduled to make contact with the Tok'ra regarding this diplomatic mission until they left Earth in another week.

He followed the younger man until they reached the Control Room, and once there, he saw a look of concern on General Hammond's face. A frown settled on Jacob's lips when a thought crossed his mind...

"What's up, George? Nothing's wrong with Sam, is it?"

The General's eyes went wide for a moment before reverting back to normal. "Nothing of the sort, Jacob. But it seems SG-1 may need your help."

"You know I'll help any way I can."

"I know that. But I think it's actually Selmak who will need to decide on helping them."

"Selmak? So, what's going on?"

He watched George shake his head slightly. "Your guess is as good as mine right about now. All I know is Colonel O'Neill has requested a med team be prepped in one of the high security rooms in the lower levels. They're bringing in somebody that Daniel says saved him."

"They got Danny back? That's great, isn't it?"

He watched as the older man sighed and waved toward the Stargate. "We're both about to know the answer to that question. They're due to arrive any minute now."

Those words seemed to trigger a whirlwind of activity. One moment they were all staring at the event horizon, and the next moment Jack stepped through the Gate, a look of intense displeasure etched into his face. Right behind him came Teal'c carrying one end of a stretcher. For the briefest moment Jacob feared it might be Daniel on the taut canvas, but that theory was disproved when he saw that the archaeologist was actually carrying the other end.

He couldn't really see much about the body on the stretcher. After all, Sam was leaning over it and managing to block his view. On the bright side, it looked like SG-1 wasn't sporting any injuries of their own. Knowing that his daughter was home and safe, Jacob bowed his head and signaled to Selmak that he was ready and willing to sit on the sidelines until the initial evaluation was over.

It was still amazing to him that he'd grown so accustomed to sharing his body with the symbiote. But, considering the fact that their melding had managed to keep him from kicking the bucket, he had to admit it was well worth it. He felt his consciousness fade into the background where he could still experience everything around him while Selmak interacted with the team.

* * *

Jack was pleased to see that General Hammond had taken his request for high security seriously. Before his team had even made it to the bottom of the ramp in front of the Stargate, a contingent of armed soldiers flanked them with their weapons at the ready. He motioned for Teal'c and Daniel to place the stretcher on top of the empty gurney at the base of the ramp, and then he moved over to where the General and Jacob were just entering into the embarkation room.

Before he had a chance to greet the two men, Selmak spoke through Jacob's lips. "I can sense that the man on the gurney has held a Goa'uld recently. Is it safe to assume that he is why you requested my aid, Colonel?"

Jack rubbed one hand along the back of his neck. "Yeah, you've got that one right. But how about we hold off the introductions until after we get him secured?"

The General frowned at him. "Do you feel he is that much of a security threat, Colonel?"

Jack sighed. "Let's just say I'd rather be safe than sorry. I mean, if we believe what Daniel's said about the guy, he singlehandedly found a way to save the both of them from not one, but _two_ of the snakes."

While they were talking, Carter came over to join them. He watched her eyes narrow at her father for a moment before she spoke.

"Selmak, right?"

"Yes, Major Carter. Your father wants me to relay his pleasure at your safe return, but he and I agree that this matter would be best addressed by me at the moment."

A quick nod of Sam's head showed that she probably agreed with the Tok'ra. "I'm worried that this man may be suffering from a release of symbiote toxin, and I honestly have no clue how to help him."

Selmak actually seemed surprised at the explanation. "When did his symbiote die?"

Jack saw this as his opportunity to get this ball rolling. "That it's dead is just a guess. It's why I'd like to move this party down into the basement before we regret it."

General Hammond's gaze swept over to where Daniel was standing next to the silver-haired man before fixing Jack with a steely gaze. "Get moving, Colonel. We'll continue this conversation once you've finished."

"Yes sir." Jack turned toward where the soldiers were still standing with weapons ready. "Let's get this show on the road, folks. Time to move our guest somewhere secure."

At his words, two of the soldiers lowered their weapons, approached the gurney and started wheeling it towards the exit. Jack held his breath, hoping that maybe just this once Daniel would accept what was happening without making it into some life-altering production. But, Daniel wouldn't be Daniel if he agreed with _anything_ he ever put out there. So, when the man physically placed himself in between the gurney and the exit, the last bit of patience he had slipped away.

"Daniel, get outta the way, already!"

"No, Jack. You're treating Kakashi like he's some kind of enemy!"

Jack gritted his teeth to keep himself from losing his temper entirely. "Listen, Daniel, just because _you_ think that guy's God's gift to the world doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful. It's protocol, dammit!"

Daniel glared at him with an intensity that he'd never known the archaeologist was capable of. "He needs to be in the infirmary! Not in a cell!"

Jack felt the heat rise in his face, and was just about to lay into him when General Hammond stepped in.

"Doctor Jackson, I can assure you that the man is hardly going into a cell. He's simply being moved to the secondary infirmary where everyone's safety can be taken into account. Alright, son?"

For a moment, Jack honestly thought Daniel was going to argue with the man. In fact, he was pretty sure that it was exactly what he had planned to do, if not for the very timely groan from the man on the gurney. A groan that was so obviously pain-filled that even Jack couldn't help cringing in sympathy.

Jacob chose that moment to come back to himself...or whatever the heck they called it when he and the snake switched places. "George, why don't you let me take Daniel down with this Kakashi fellow and let him see with his own two eyes that it's not a cell?"

"That's a great idea. By now Doctor Frasier's probably wondering why she doesn't have her patient yet."

Jack watched as Jacob crossed over to where Daniel was still blocking the door. The older man placed a hand on the other's shoulder and whispered something that he couldn't quite make out over the noise in the room. But whatever he'd said was enough to get Daniel to move the heck outta the way and allow the soldiers to roll the gurney through the doorway. Daniel and Jacob followed close behind, with Sam a step behind them. Jack let out a frustrated sigh once they were all out of view. He was just about to head out himself when he felt the General's hand on his shoulder.

"Hold on a minute, Jack."

He turned toward the General with a frown. "Sir, I'd really rather get this over with first."

The look in Hammond's eyes made it clear he wasn't letting him go any time soon. "You need to explain to me why we just sent that man down to a secured facility when he looks just this side of Death's door. What's got you so worried, Colonel?"

Jack let out an exasperated sigh. "There's something about the guy that just doesn't add up. I mean, if he really doesn't have a live snake in his head, then how the heck did he manage to fight off the contingent of Jaffa that we found when we stepped through the gate?"

The General's frown deepened. "Aren't you just overreacting a bit?"

He shook his head. "No sir, I'm not. If it was just that he'd fought off Jaffa, I'd be fine with it. But it was the _way_ he did it that has my Spidey-senses going haywire. Two of the Jaffa were buried up to their neck...in hard-packed dirt...side by side. All we could see of them was their heads. And it looked like a few of them were hit by a flame-thrower...which, by the way, this guy didn't have on him."

That caused the General to raise his eyebrows. "And this happened before you arrived?"

"Yes, sir."

"What did Doctor Jackson say about it?"

Jack scratched at the back of his head. "That's the thing, General. Daniel's been pretty much tight-lipped about anything that happened to them on that planet. He just keeps going on about how this Kakashi fellow wasn't a threat."

"Alright Colonel. That's enough for now. Head on down and keep an eye on things. I'll expect a full report once you're satisfied things are secure."

Jack was halfway through the room when the General's voice caused him to stop and turn back toward the man.

"Colonel...let Doctor Fraiser know that she'll need to clear Doctor Jackson as well."

He nodded once, then headed down to where the others had already gone. Something told him it was definitely going to be a long night.

* * *

Kakashi was definitely sick of having his body attack him from the inside out. The waves of pain rolling through him were intense enough that he was actually thinking they were worse than that time Itachi Uchiha had tortured him within the Tsukuyomi. He'd almost prefer having that bastard stab him through again instead of this...this...whatever the hell this was.

At first, he'd thought it was just a reaction to expending more chakra than he could easily replace. After all, it had started out with that same drained feeling that he'd had on so many occasions before. When he'd pushed one more jutsu out of him than he should have. It always left his legs feeling like limp noodles, and his muscles spasming until he'd had enough sense to lie back and rest while his chakra stores replenished. But once he was flat on his back, the exhaustion and muscle pain would slowly diminish.

Which is why he felt that this was something entirely different than his run-of-the-mill chakra depletion. Because, regardless of whether he was resting or moving, he could feel his muscles and nerves reacting to something that was slowly working its way throughout his body. Something that, without a medic-nin to stop it, was likely going to cause him to either have heart failure or to stroke out completely.

After all, his heart rate seemed to be increasing with each new wave of pain, and he could feel the blood pulsing at his temples in a way that caused him more than a bit of concern. But he had no way to communicate his fears and concerns at the moment. All he could do was lie on the gurney and try his hardest not to pass out as he was wheeled down a corridor made of stone and metal. It was beyond him at the moment to take in much more than that. His vision was constantly blurring the edges of everything around him, and this only added to the immense feeling of disorientation he was experiencing. He chose to keep his eyes closed throughout the journey, hoping to keep some modicum of dignity in place by not having the contents of his stomach surge past his lips.

Of course, that almost happened anyhow once he felt the floor drop out from under him. He cracked an eye open and saw that no one around him found the sensation unnatural, so he held out hope that it would come to an end sooner, rather than later. He could hear machinery all around him and felt whatever they were in come to a shuddering stop.

The sound of metal doors sliding open was followed shortly by the squeaking of the wheels, and Kakashi closed his eyes once more when the gurney was pushed down more of the corridors. When they finally stopped moving, he found himself being transferred off the stretcher and onto a bed. Although he didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the slightly more comfortable location when he felt numerous hands doing everything from stripping his shirt away, to placing the wires for a heart monitor on him.

Every time someone touched his bare skin Kakashi felt as though he were on fire, and soon he heard his own gasps of pain with each occurrence. At one point, his gasp turned to a cry of pain when the lid to his sharingan eye was pried open and the beam of a penlight flashed across his slowly spinning iris. There was a sharp burning agony until whoever it was mercifully let him close the lid once more. On the outskirts of his awareness he could still identify Daniel's worried voice, but beyond that, everything was a blur.

Kakashi was so wrapped up in trying to slow down whatever was racing through his system that when he felt a cooling energy settle into his chest he'd wondered if it was the first sign that his body was starting to shut down. But when that hadn't happened, he was able to tell that, whatever was going on, it was starting to reverse the process of damage in his body.

Soon he was able to breath easier and he felt his heart slow back down to something a bit more normal. The cool, healing energy continued to flow throughout his body for a few moments longer before it was pulled back out once more. Thankfully, whatever had been attacking his body seemed to be gone, and he let a sigh of relief escape his lips.

It was only now that those intense pains were gone that Kakashi was able to start taking in more about his surroundings. He cautiously cracked his right eye open and was surprised when he saw a dark-haired woman staring back at him with concern in her soft gaze.

"Well, hello there." The smile in her voice was matched by the one on her lips. "I'm Doctor Frasier, and I was starting to think you weren't going to wake up at all."

Kakashi blinked up at the woman, trying to clear his vision a bit more. He went to lift his hands up to rub at his eyes and frowned when he felt the restraining straps encircling his wrists. Perhaps he wasn't as safe as he'd hoped. But before he could worry too much more about it, he heard a voice that had a strange reverberation to it...as though it wasn't quite human. He knew he'd heard something like it before, but at the moment his brain wasn't supplying him much in the way of coherent thoughts.

"You were very fortunate that SG-1 thought to bring you here when they did, young man."

Kakashi shifted his gaze until the speaker came into view. The man smiling down at him was dressed in an outfit unlike the uniform he'd seen all of SG-1 wearing, and something about him seemed to resonate that he wasn't quite what he appeared to be. Kakashi frowned as he tried to place what exactly was nagging at his mind.

This unknown man and the doctor released his wrists from the straps before they helped him into a seated position. The elevation allowed him to see more of the room, but it also caused a wave of dizziness to pull a fresh groan from his lips.

"Forgive me, but I'm not feeling quite so fortunate at the moment." He lifted his fingers up to his head to massage his temples and sighed when the room stopped shifting in his vision.

Daniel's familiar voice helped Kakashi relax, at least a small bit. "Selmak wasn't sure he'd be able to reverse the damage, but it looks like you're going to live."

Kakashi slowly turned his head until he could see that Daniel was sitting up in a bed set up next to his with the woman, Sam, standing on the opposite side. Like him, there were numerous wires stretching to various pieces of machinery. But unlike him, there were no armed guards hovering an arm's length away. Because, even though his vision wasn't one-hundred percent yet, the presence of the half dozen armed men scattered around him had not gone unnoticed. But Kakashi had been in situations like this before...okay, maybe not exactly like this, but still, close enough. And, until he could figure out just why they all thought of him as a threat, he'd play along.

"So, who's Selmak?"

A soft chuckle next to him brought his attention back to the older man who'd freed his wrists. "That would be me. Do you understand what has happened to you, young man?"

"I have my guesses, but why don't you enlighten me?"

Again, the soft chuckle came from the man. "If what Daniel has told us is accurate, it seems that the method you used to 'fry' the Goa'uld had the added benefit of delaying the release of a powerful toxin within your body."

Kakashi went to run his hands through his hair, but instead of his normally wild hairdo, his fingers encountered the damned braids that snake had given him. He frowned and settled for rubbing his neck instead. "What was that toxin supposed to do?"

Doctor Fraiser moved closer and placed her hand on his shoulder, in an obvious show of comfort. But it was Selmak who spoke the words. "It was meant to kill you at the same time the Goa'uld expired. Quite frankly, you should be dead."

"Yeah, well this wouldn't be the first time someone's said that to me."

"Of this I have no doubt. If you don't mind my asking...what exactly are you?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrows. "I suppose I could ask the same thing of you, couldn't I?"

At this, the man's eyes glowed and Kakashi's first thought was that this had all been an elaborate trap. But he couldn't sense anything from this man that felt anywhere near as evil as the Goa'uld he'd just escaped from. Which was a good thing, as his body still hadn't fully recovered from whatever that toxin had been doing to him. He thought back to when Daniel and the others had been talking about Selmak and he knew the answer to his own question. He rubbed at his temples once more, trying to will away the headache that was starting to take hold as he tested his theory.

"After all, you are Tok'ra."

The look of shock on Selmak's face would have made him laugh in other circumstances, but when the guards surrounding him all took a step forward with their weapons raised, he'd figured maybe it would have been wiser to just play dumb this one time.


	6. Tree Frog Diplomacy and Other Surprises

Chapter 6

Tree Frog Diplomacy and Other Surprises

Jack walked into the secure infirmary expecting to see Daniel, and this Kakashi fellow, laying in their beds in a sedated fog, with Doc Frasier ready to give him an update. What he had _not_ expected was to walk in and find only two of the guards conscious. He quickly noticed where the two were aiming their weapons and thought for sure they'd lost their minds...until he followed their stares to the ceiling.

"What the...?"

"Oh, hi Jack. Umm, this isn't what it looks like...really."

Daniel's voice sounded a bit strained, but considering he was currently being dangled from the grip of his new best friend...who just happened to be hanging off the ceiling by his feet...Jack could understand it. What he couldn't understand was just what the heck could've happened in the, what..._ten minutes_...it had taken him to finish talking with Hammond and make it down here.

He took a quick scan of the room and saw Sam, Jacob and Doc Frasier huddled in the far corner. The Doc looked a little shook up, while Sam was holding a blood-stained cloth to her dad's forehead. At that, Jack turned a hard stare back up at the ceiling while lifting his P-90 until the freak holding Daniel was in the cross-hairs.

"Really? 'Cuz to me it looks like you're being held hostage by the same guy that injured Jacob and took out most of the guards." He moved his fingertip toward the trigger. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot a hole through his snakey little head right now."

"You mean besides the fact that you could miss him and hit me by mistake?"

Jack smirked. "Not gonna happen, Danny. Sharpshooter...remember?"

Daniel frowned at him. "Jack, don't do this. Kakashi didn't hurt anyone."

"Right...and Jacob's head just sprung a leak on its own. Give me a break! You and your _friend_ there have 'til a count of three to get down here before I air-condition his head."

"Jack..."

"Don't start, Daniel. One...Two..."

"Dad! You shouldn't be getting up!" Sam's frantic voice interrupted his count.

"I'm alright Sammy. Selmak has already stopped the bleeding." Jacob walked over to him, while he kept his sight locked on the tree-frog. "Jack...quit the dramatics already. The new kid didn't do this to me."

Jack chanced a glance over toward Sam and Doc Frasier and saw the two women were nodding their heads in agreement. He narrowed his eyes and turned to face Jacob, his weapon still held at the ready, but his finger now a bit farther away from the trigger. The older man tried to smile at him but winced in pain instead.

"So if the freak didn't hit you, then who the heck did? Sam?"

Jacob chuckled at that. "No...not even close. See the two guys between the beds? The ones tied up with the wires from Daniel's heart monitor?"

Jack frowned and looked where he was being directed. Sure enough, two of the younger soldiers were tied back to back. Each one were sporting some rather spectacular goose-eggs on their foreheads, and one was completely unconscious. He motioned toward them with his head.

"So, what about them?"

Instead of Jacob answering, Carter did, from where she was still seated on the floor. "Colonel, they attacked Dad when he tried to keep them from getting to Daniel. And if Kakashi hadn't stepped in, Dad _and_ Daniel would have gotten a lot worse than they did."

"Whoa...wait a minute. Since when do _our_ guys attack Daniel?"

"I'd love to know the answer to that one myself."

Jack turned toward Daniel, who was now standing beside him...well, with the help of what's-his-face, that is. At this angle and proximity it was much easier to see what Sam was talking about. Daniel had a pretty nasty gash running down the upper part of his left arm. And he looked more than a bit shaken up – although that might have been more from his time on the ceiling than the loss of blood.

Which reminded him...just how the heck did Spiderman here manage that trick on the ceiling in the first place? There certainly weren't any footholds up there. And then there was the matter of just how the heck he had managed it while holding the injured man.

"Do you mind if I help Daniel back to his bed? He's not really as light as he looks."

Jack raised his eyebrows at the comment from the mysterious silver-haired man. "Yeah...that's all that knowledge in his head. Weighs him down a bit. Go ahead."

Daniel groaned as he was gently placed back into his bed, and Doc Frasier didn't waste a moment before rushing over to check on the wound. Jack, meanwhile, was still trying to figure out just what the hell happened. He switched his attention back to Jacob and Sam, figuring the tree-frog wasn't really a threat at the moment.

"So, if those two were bad eggs, what about the rest of the bodies, hmm?"

"Well Sir, you can thank the one on the right for most of it. He had a Zat-gun and wasn't afraid to use it. He managed to hit all the guards at least once...but the ones still on the floor were hit a second time before Dad managed to wrestle the Zat from the guy."

At that, Jack took a second look at the bodies on the floor. "Dammit. I knew some of these guys." He looked back over toward the bound men. "So then the other one went after Daniel?"

Sam sighed. "Yeah. I'm still not quite sure how it all went down, Sir. I mean, there's no logical way that Kakashi should have been able to stop the attack, tie up these two, grab Daniel, and well...end up where he ended up."

Jack sighed. Just once he'd like things around Daniel to be normal...just once. But things were never that simple these days. He turned to face the two remaining members of the guard detail. They both looked a little worse for wear, but at least they were still breathing. He met the eyes of the younger of the two men, and it was clear to Jack that this was the first time the kid had ever seen anyone die. He turned his attention to the older man and knew the same could not be said about him.

"Lieutenant, I need you and Simmons here to keep those two under close guard."

The soldiers seemed to relax a notch once he had something concrete to focus on again. "Yes, Sir."

Jack was pleased to see that the two men hadn't been so shaken up that they couldn't function, and it was a good bet that they'd keep an extra close eye on the prisoners. With that done, he headed over to the phone mounted on the wall and dialed up the General's private line.

"Hammond here."

"Sir, do you have a minute?"

"Colonel O'Neill? Is there some reason you're calling me on the secured line?"

"There's been an incident down here that was...unexpected, Sir."

"Unexpected?"

"You should probably come down here and see this with your own eyes, General."

"Right...on my way."

Jack hung up the receiver and shifted his P-90 back to his hip. He got back to the side of Daniel's bed just in time to hear the Doc give her diagnosis.

"Looks like he missed anything major, Daniel. But I'm afraid you're going to have one very nasty scar when all is said and done."

The tree-frog leaned in. "Why would such a simple wound leave a scar?"

Jack nearly laughed out loud at the look of shock on Frasier's face. "Simple? It's deep and wide enough that it's probably going to take internal stitches in addition to external. The blade cut into his muscle, so he'll be out of commission until it fully heals in order to keep from damaging it more. Just what is so simple about that?"

"It didn't chip the bone, he's not missing any part of the muscle tissue, and the blade used was a relatively clean straight edge." The silver-haired man shrugged. "I've seen worse."

A chuckle from Daniel redirected all attention down to the man. "Kakashi is a bit of a healer, Janet. Think back to what the Nox could do...only without the chanting."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Right...and next you're going to tell me that the guy can walk on water."

* * *

Kakashi smirked at what this man would think if he had informed him that, yes, he actually _could_ walk on water. But he doubted that the comment would be appreciated...no matter how accurate it was. Instead, he turned his attention back to where the Doctor was trying to stem the flow of blood from Daniel's wound.

Seeing that she was having more than a bit of trouble applying the needed pressure along the entirety of the injury, Kakashi reached over to give her a hand. The woman looked up and gave him a soft smile of gratitude. Once they had finished wrapping Daniel's arm, Kakashi turned his gaze at the two men still bound together on the floor.

Something was definitely not right here. But he didn't have enough information about this place to be able to reach any valid conclusions beyond the fact that, whatever was going on, it revolved around the man on the bed. Which made Kakashi think back to his first meeting with Daniel. It hadn't escaped his attention that the man had no idea who the Goa'uld was that had determined the need to capture him. So the question was, just why would people want to capture or injure the man? What the hell was he missing?

He turned back toward Daniel to find that the man was watching him as well. There was an intelligence within that gaze that made it clear that Kakashi was being analyzed, even as he was trying to do the same. But there was also the promise in that look that showed that he and Daniel would definitely be talking about many things in the days to come. Assuming, of course, he didn't end up locked away in some cell within this cavernous facility.

"Colonel O'Neill...just what has happened here?"

Kakashi turned toward where an older, balding man was standing in the doorway, taking in the entire scene with eyes as sharp as a hawk's. By the way the two guards still in the room straightened up at his words, it was clear that this man was actually a higher rank than anyone else in the room. This was confirmed when he heard Jack speak next.

"I'm still trying to piece that together, General. But it looks like someone's trying to get at Daniel again."

"Well that's not good enough Colonel. I need to know if we have a foothold situation here or not."

Kakashi frowned at some of the terminology the men were throwing around, but one thing was clear...this was definitely not the first time someone had tried to hurt his new acquaintance. Why was it that he always managed to get stuck in the middle of events that were worthy of being the plot in one of Jiraiya's novels?

"Doctor Frasier, should this young man really be out of his bed?"

It only took a moment for Kakashi to realize that he was the one being talked about, and he placed a smile on his face as he met the General's eyes before bowing slightly to the man. "Thank you for your concern, General, but I am quite well now."

When he returned to standing, there was a slightly perplexed look on the man's face. "Why don't we let the Doctor decide that, okay son?"

Kakashi sighed and realized he was a long way from being trusted by more than half of these people. Which, of course, was definitely something he was used to. From the corner of his eye, he noticed more uniformed men entering the room and he thought, for the briefest moment, that he was going to be placed in confinement. But these men more or less ignored him and moved to the task of removing the bodies of the soldiers who had lost their lives during the fight. It was clear by the looks on their faces that this was not something they were accustomed to, which made Kakashi even more curious about just where he was. It was obvious these people were part of what passed for the military here, but he'd never known a military force that wasn't accustomed to death. And these deaths were mild, to say the least.

Another group entered once the first left. This one was heavily armed with what Kakashi guessed were different versions of the weapon Colonel O'Neill was so fond of waving around. These men seemed far more seasoned than the others as well, and moved as one toward where the two attackers were still bound on the floor.

The General watched with a careful eye as the wires were unwrapped and replaced with metal cuffs. The one man was still unconscious, but he was cuffed all the same. It showed Kakashi that they were not taking this threat lightly at all, and gave him hope that any other attacks from these two should be thwarted.

"Put those two into isolation until I can figure out what to do with them." The General's voice made it quite clear he meant to get to the bottom of things.

Kakashi watched as the two were, quite literally, dragged out of the room, and then saw the General's hawk-like gaze fall onto him. He calmly met that gaze and crossed his arms across his bare chest. "What would you like to know, General?"

The older man smiled, although it never quite reached his eyes. "Why don't we start with introductions? I'm Major General George Hammond, commanding officer here at Stargate Command. And you are?"

It was becoming obvious to Kakashi that rank and titles meant something here...wherever here was. So, even though it wasn't something he would ever need to do back home, within this environment he figured a true introduction was in order.

He gave a slightly deeper bow than before to the man. "Kakashi Hatake. Commanding General of the Third Battalion of the Allied Forces of Unified Shinobi for the Five Great Countries."

He could hear Jack mumbling to himself in the background, and resisted the urge to smirk as he stood back up to meet General Hammond's eyes. There was a look on the older man's face that reminded Kakashi of Jiraiya, particularly when the man's lips twitched up into a smile.

"Don't mind Colonel O'Neill's grumblings, son. He's just upset that you outrank him."

Kakashi wanted to make a witty retort to the General's comment, but evidently his bowing managed to trigger the headache he'd hoped wouldn't show itself. He slowly raised one arm up and pressed the heel of his hand against his scarred eye, ever conscious of the men watching him. The sharingan was getting slower and slower in its recovery time after using his Mangekyo, and with that came the persistent throbbing that made it painful to keep it open for more than a few moments at a time. And without his headband to cover it, the act of keeping it closed was becoming far harder than it should have been.

Doctor Frasier's soft voice interrupted his thoughts. "Is your eye bothering you?"

"It's just tired. It will pass."

The doctor came around Daniel's bed to stand in front of him. She wordlessly led him to sit on the edge of his unoccupied bed and gently pried his eyelid open. He groaned slightly from both the light hitting the abused eye, and from the trickle of chakra that was drained every time that eye was opened. Kakashi pulled her hand away and closed the eye.

"Really, Doctor, it just needs rest."

The frown on her face made it clear she didn't agree. "The iris is dark red, which tends to lead me to believe that you've somehow damaged your optic nerve and it's bleeding into the surrounding tissue. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't take you to surgery right now to keep you from losing that eye altogether."

Kakashi let out a frustrated breath. Evidently there were no sharingan eyes in this place. "How about because I've already lost my eye? What you are seeing is the natural coloring of the donor eye I received to replace the original when I was thirteen. I assure you that it is fine. I normally have it covered to allow it time to rest, but unfortunately I've managed to lose my headband along the way."

"Your headband?" Kakashi looked to where the woman...Sam...was crossing the room to join them. "I don't suppose you could describe that, could you?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Considering I've owned it for the better part of the last thirty years, yes, I can describe it. It consists of dark cloth with a silver plate fastened in the middle of it. That plate bears the symbol of my home, Konohagakure."

"The Village of the Hidden Leaves...is that right, Kakashi?" There was a level of excitement in Daniel's voice that brought a grin to his lips.

"That's close, but the appropriate translation would be Village Hidden in the Leaf."

"Ah, yes...that makes sense. I just had the order wrong." He watched Daniel scan the room as though looking for something of great importance. "Does anybody have a pen and paper?"

"Geez...can't you ever just give it a rest already?" Jack's tone let Kakashi know that the man wasn't as put out as his words made it seem, and the fact he handed over a small pad and pen told the rest of the story.

"Kakashi?" Sam's voice at his elbow caused him to look down into her face. "Is this what you're talking about?"

She held up her hand, across which was the very item he'd just described. The light glistened off the silver plate, playing off the many dents and nicks it had received over the years. More than one of them had actually stopped a blow meant to kill him, and in all honesty, he felt more exposed when it was missing than when his mask was gone. He fought down the urge to grab the item from her hand, choosing to nod once and hold his own hand out, palm up. The familiar weight was placed onto his hand and he allowed his fingers to curl around the plate, feeling the edges dig into his skin.

He wasn't quite sure why he'd placed this particular headband into his pouch at the beginning of his last mission. But as things turned out, it did come in handy. After all, his Allied Forces headband had been destroyed when it had deflected a killing blow from Sasuke during that final battle. And when the young Uchiha taunted him about it, the look of utter shock on his former student's face when Kakashi had calmly replaced it with this very headband had symbolized the turning point in the fight.

"Thank you." He was about to tie it back where it belonged when his fingers ran across the braids once more, causing him to frown.

Doctor Frasier placed a hand on his shoulder. "Is something wrong, Kakashi?"

He let a frustrated sigh out and placed the headband in his lap. "Are either of you ladies any good at taking out braids?"

Quiet laughter filled the room as the two women set to work freeing his hair from the mess the snakes had created. Soon he could feel their gentle fingertips working through his hair and massaging his scalp as they went, which in turn caused Colonel O'Neill to sputter in annoyance. As prison cells went, this one was getting better by the minute. If Jiraiya could only see him now.

* * *

Naruto stood in front of the Memorial Stone and watched the first rays of the sunrise dance across the surface, catching in each carved name, and setting them in stark contrast to the darkness of the stone face. The light barely clung to those oldest names at the base of the monument...the characters worn nearly smooth by weather and time. But the newer names, near the top of the stone, were so deep that the light pooled in them making them seem that much more unreal. Especially that newest of names. The one that stuck in Naruto's soul and made him curse the fact that he'd been stuck at the wrong end of the country for those final moments of the war.

He ran his fingertips across those freshly carved characters, hoping that it might seem more real if he felt them instead of just reading them. He knew he was having a hard time believing his sensei was really gone, especially since there was no body. He pressed against the carving just a bit too hard and the sharp edges dug into his skin. A hiss escaped from his lips as he pulled his injured fingers to his mouth. He glared back at the stone and cringed when he saw his blood had settled into the last character he'd traced.

"Dammit all!"

He had spent the last two days with Sakura, Sai and others filling him in on the details of that final battle. The battle that _he_ should have been a part of, instead of wasting his time wiping out Kabuto and the last of his freakish creations.

Yeah, okay...he got the fact that _somebody_ needed to kill that worm, Kabuto...especially once he had started looking and acting more and more like that creep, Orochimaru. But why did it have to be _him _who did it? Fine...the intel had said that Sasuke was there with the bastard...and he did have the whole Rasen-shuriken, and the Kyuubi's chakra-powered jutsu to make sure every last trace of Sasuke, the snake and his lackeys were erased from history. But would it really have made that big of a difference if he'd been there to help Kakashi first and _then _gone back to finish off the others? Maybe then Kakashi wouldn't have had to deal with Madara _and_ Sasuke by himself. And the stupid jonin wouldn't have felt that sacrificing himself was the only answer.

Naruto sat on the ground and sighed heavily. He was really getting sick of losing the people who'd trained him. First Pervy-sage, and now Kakashi. It was like some kinda curse or something. Who'd be next? Captain Yamato?

Naruto frowned at that line of thought. Evidently that had almost happened during that last battle...according to Sakura. He felt himself falling deeper and deeper into a hole of misery when a familiar voice pulled him back out again.

"Naruto? Since when do _you_ wake up before noon, hmm? Is old man Teuchi running running a breakfast special at the ramen stand and nobody told me about it?"

Naruto looked up to see his very first sensei staring back at him with a smile on his face that crinkled the scar running across his cheeks and nose. The man looked thinner than Naruto remembered, and maybe a little more tired, but otherwise it was still his Iruka-sensei. He pushed himself up to standing and grinned back at him...until a huge yawn escaped, that is. He blushed slightly and rubbed at the back of his neck.

Iruka stepped forward with narrowed eyes and a stern look on his face. "Naruto, you _have_ gone to bed, right?"

He felt his cheeks flush a bit more and did his best to avoid his sensei's gaze. "I meant to Iruka-sensei. _Really_...but...my feet kinda brought me here instead."

Surprisingly, the man didn't scold him at all. Instead, he heard the shaky breath Iruka took before the man walked by him to kneel in front of the stone. He watched him place three items down before bowing his head in prayer. Curious, Naruto edged over to see just what Iruka had brought. He felt his eyes go wide when he recognized the photo of Team Seven sitting next to Mr. Ukki, the plant he'd given to Kakashi-sensei back when he'd first become a genin. Next to that was another photo of another team. Naruto bent a little closer and saw, to his amazement, a picture that almost mirrored the one of Team Seven.

There was a kid wearing goggles wearing a goofy grin, a girl with dark hair and clan markings on her cheeks, and then there was Kakashi-sensei...as a kid...looking every bit as pissed off as Sasuke did in their own photo. And standing behind them with a look of pride in his eyes was Naruto's dad...the Fourth Hokage.

A frown settled on Naruto's face. "Where'd you get these, Iruka-sensei?"

The man in front of him sighed before sitting back on his feet. "I was assigned to cleaning out his apartment, Naruto. And I just couldn't bring myself to box these up or throw them away."

Naruto sat down beside him and stretched a hand out to run some of the plant's leaves through his fingers. "Do you think it would be okay if I took care of Mr. Ukki from now on?"

A soft chuckle came from Iruka. "I think Kakashi would have wanted that, Naruto."

The two settled into a comfortable silence as each became lost in their own thoughts. After nearly a half hour, Naruto turned his head toward his Academy sensei to see that the man's eyes were closed and the look of loss on his face was impossible to miss.

"Iruka-sensei?"

A slow breath was released through the man's lips and his eyes remained closed. "Yes, Naruto?"

"I didn't think you knew Kakashi-sensei that well."

A sad smile crossed Iruka's lips. "I've known Kakashi for most of my life, Naruto. But we didn't become friends until he took Team Seven on as your jonin-sensei."

Naruto frowned. "Oh. So you're this sad because you lost a close friend?"

Iruka turned and smiled at him. "Yes, I suppose I am. But I'm not just praying for Kakashi today. I knew or taught every name that was just added to the stone, Naruto. We may have won the war, but the cost was very high across all the Great Nations...especially here in the Land of Fire. I think it will take us all a very long time to recover."

"Yeah...I think you're right." Naruto's gaze shifted back down to the two photos. "Iruka-sensei?"

"Hmm?"

"If I tell you something, do you promise not to laugh?"

He saw curiosity flicker in the older man's eyes. "I suppose. Go ahead."

Naruto took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and let the words out before he lost the nerve. "I don't think Kakashi-sensei is dead."

He was met with absolute silence. He cracked open one eye and looked toward Iruka. The man was staring back at him with wide eyes and his mouth open just a bit. Naruto swallowed hard and reached out to shake the man.

"Are you okay, Sensei?"

That seemed to snap the man out of whatever stupor he'd been in. And the look in those dark eyes made it clear he was not amused. "Naruto, why would you even think that? You heard it straight from Sakura's mouth, didn't you?"

He scratched at his ear. "I know what she said...but then I got thinking. Kakashi-sensei had used his Mangekyo technique in front of me before, and the people he caught in it lived, right? At least that blond freak did. And I've seen that Madara creep suck people into, and spit them outta, _his_ technique too. _Lots_ of times. So how come we're all saying Kakashi-sensei's dead instead of trying to find out wherever the hell it is the techniques spit him out?"

Iruka looked like he was about to scold him, but instead he closed his mouth and stared at him like he'd grown a second head, or something. "Have you told the Hokage any of this, Naruto?"

"Not exactly. Anytime I've brought up the topic of Kakashi-sensei she keeps getting this weird look on her face and starts muttering about breaking a promise she'd made to some guy by the name of Sakumo." He huffed out a breath. "You've seen her like that, right? Would _you_ try to speak to her when she's like that?"

Iruka chuckled at him, likely remembering his own moments with Granny-Tsunade over the years. "Right. How about I go with you and we'll both talk to her about it?"

Naruto grinned at the man and felt a spark of hope fill his chest. "Really?"

Iruka-sensei stood up and stretched one hand out to help Naruto up. Once they were both standing, his one-time teacher placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and met his eyes.

"I don't want you to get your hopes up yet, Naruto. But with everything else that's been going on, I'd like to hear it from the Hokage whether your theory was checked out already or not."

Naruto tried not to smile any wider. "And if it hasn't been?"

Iruka glanced back toward the Memorial Stone. "Then you and I will make sure it is."

Naruto couldn't keep the grin off his face this time, and he bent down to pick up the plant and the photos off the base. "Maybe we should hold on to all of these...just until we know for sure, right Iruka-sensei?"

The smile on his sensei's face, and the look of hope in his dark eyes, gave Naruto all the answer he needed.

* * *

The sound of mechanical whirring and pressurized air hissing around him slowly dragged his mind back from the depths of the cold blackness that had surrounded him for what had felt like an eternity. The sluggish movement of blood through veins brought much needed oxygen into every corner of his body and mind. His once-still heart began to pick up its pace until it felt ready to leap from his chest.

Vague flashes of memory tickled at the corners of a mind that was still foggy from what he'd thought for certain had been his death. But the steady pulsing of his blood, and the strengthening beat of his heart, contradicted those mental images...just as it had all those years ago when he'd died in order to gain the power he'd long desired.

But this was different than that time. This was more than restarting a heart that had only been stilled for mere moments. After all, his heart had been melted by the grip of someone that he'd thought he'd surpassed. But here he was, slowly being pieced back together, in a way he'd never thought possible. Being given yet another chance to set things right...to show them all just what it means to be the target of his anger...and if there was one thing he was certain of as he lay here being put back together again, it was that he _would_ have his chance to pay each and every one of them back.

He closed his eyes and waited for the process to complete itself with a patience he'd never had before. A patience which, in hindsight, he'd learned from the best of the best...a man that had made an art of being late when it didn't matter, and yet always arrived at the perfect moment when it really counted.

The whirring around him increased and changed in pitch. A moment later, and a crack of light pierced the darkness above him, causing him to squint until his eyes grew used to the change. Once the cover slid off to the side, he pulled himself up into a seated position. One single glance down at his chest showed him what he had already known...his skin was flawless once more, and his body whole.

He turned to face the man standing next to this miraculous device, this chamber of second chances, and was met with one black and white rinnengan eye, and one black and red sharingan. He felt his own sharingan trigger when he noticed a strange glow behind those familiar eyes staring at him, but a sly grin slid across his face as the man greeted him.

"Welcome back to the living...Sasuke Uchiha. We have much to discuss."


	7. The Perils of Curiosity

Chapter 7

The Perils of Curiosity

The moment Daniel had been sprung loose of the secured infirmary he couldn't wait to get to his books. There were so many things he needed to research and crosscheck that he almost wasn't sure where to start. The small notepad Jack had given him was completely filled within the first hours of talking with Kakashi, and four larger notepads held all sorts of bits of additional information he'd picked up over the last five days. And he knew that these tidbits only just scratched the surface of the wealth of knowledge that man held.

He looked around his workspace and sighed in contentment. Anyone else walking into this room would likely find it too crowded and far too confusing, but to Daniel, it was like a breath of fresh air. Each shelf contained items he had collected over the years, and more than a few of his own notebooks were filled cover to cover with various linguistic and archaeological discoveries from the many planets they'd explored. In the center of the room was a long, sturdy work table that, like the shelves, had nearly every inch crowded with items he was in the process of cataloging or researching. On one end, his computer sat with the screen saver running to fill the viewable space with various Egyptian figures dancing across the screen. On the other end sat a well-used coffee maker that had seen him through more long nights of research than he could count.

A slow grin crossed his face at the thought of a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee. He stepped over to where he kept the special blends of coffee and took out one of his favorites...his own personal mixture of Peruvian dark roast beans, Hawaiian Kona beans, and an aromatic bean from P3X-8723 that somehow managed to remove any bitterness while maximizing the caffeine. Sometimes there were perks to this job that no one would ever believe. He opened the vacuum-sealed container and closed his eyes as the first whiff of the mix hit his nose. He inhaled that rich aroma and sighed in contentment.

"You gonna make it...or marry it?"

A frown settled on Daniel's face. Leave it to Jack to mess up his moment of bliss. "Very funny. Actually, I was thinking of using a fresh-brewed pot to blackmail Kakashi out of some more details on Konoha."

Jack wandered over and leaned his elbows on a precariously perched stack of notebooks. "Right...good luck with that one. That guy's more tight-lipped than the Tok'ra."

"Umm, Jack, can you watch what you're doing?"

The man looked surprised at Daniel's words, and he stood up just that tiny bit too fast, which in turn caused the top three notebooks to scatter. One slid to the left and knocked over a series of small funerary statues he'd brought back from a recent dig in Egypt, causing Daniel to cringe at the sound of one breaking. The second notebook slid to the front and would have caught fire if his Bunsen burner was actually lit. The third slid toward the floor and had Jack scrambling to catch it before it hit the ground.

Unfortunately, the man was just one second too slow, and the corner of the book hit the floor with enough force to pop the binding loose and scatter the pages across the floor. Daniel groaned at the thought of how long it was going to take him to reorder every page, and he hoped that none of the information had been damaged. After all, that particular book held all the pertinent data from P3X-7809. And considering it was now a hotbed of Goa'uld activity, he'd probably never get the chance to replace any of the info. When he saw Jack start to make an awkward grab for a fourth notebook that was teetering on the remaining stack, Daniel had finally had enough.

"Jack...please stop trying to help!"

The man ignored him, of course, and fumbled for what Daniel was only now identifying as his only copy of a journal documenting the subtle differences between the Abydonian language and the ancient Egyptian script he'd grown up studying. It was the culmination of his time spent with his wife and her family back on Abydos. He felt his blood pressure raise dangerously, and wished for the thousandth time that the classified nature of his work didn't require him to stay on base to perform his research.

The sound of paper tearing caused a groan to escape Daniel's lips, and Jack at least had the sense to look apologetic as he handed over the 'rescued' journal...which was now in two parts. Daniel let loose a frustrated sigh while he retrieved the damaged item and held it close to his chest.

"Do you get some sick sort of pleasure out of making my life miserable?"

"Nah, that's just a bonus."

Daniel glared at the man. "Fine...just tell me why you came here in the first place."

"Yeah, right. Selmak has convinced Hammond to let them use one of those memory disc-thingies to figure out what your new best friend is hiding."

"You're telling me that General Hammond actually thinks that Kakashi is hiding something? Or is that your own viewpoint seeping in again?"

Jack stood tall and shoved his hands into his pockets. "You can't tell me that you think this guy has been completely on the up-and-up with us, can you?"

"Why do you always have to think the worst of people, Jack?"

"Why do _you_ always trust everybody?"

The two stared at each other in silence for a bit before Daniel rolled his eyes and placed the damaged notebook back on the counter. "So if Selmak and General Hammond are there, why would I need to go?"

Jack looked a bit upset by his question, almost like he'd been caught in a lie. "Actually, Selmak figured the Tree Frog would be more willing to cooperate if you were there."

Daniel shook his head. "The Tree Frog? Really, Jack? You couldn't do any better than that?"

"I call 'em like I see 'em. You coming?"

"Yeah...just give me a second." He placed the cover back on the coffee container with a sigh and then headed out the door.

* * *

Sam ran one hand through her hair, trying to will away the wave of exhaustion that was threatening to overcome her. She reached for what had to be her twentieth cup of black coffee and let the bitter taste trick her mind into thinking it was time to be alert once more. When she was sure she wouldn't fall asleep any time soon, she returned her attention to what she was working on.

She'd uploaded the actual surveillance footage from the secure infirmary over four nights ago, and she still wasn't quite sure what to make of it. The first time the sequence was played, all that she'd seen from the moment Daniel was attacked was a blur of movement that left the two attackers tied up, and Daniel hanging from the ceiling in Kakashi's arms. Since then, she'd tried fifteen different ways to isolate and slow down the captured images, to the point that she and everyone else in the footage were barely moving at all, but the silver-haired man's movements were still too fast to keep track of.

"Okay. That leaves me with only one more trick to try." Sam sighed and tapped a series of keys on her computer before sitting back and waiting for the program to run.

She took another sip of her coffee. If the slowest speed on the playback function was still too fast to truly see the man in action, then the only other option was to review the footage frame by frame. She glanced into her cup and frowned. There was a good twenty minute time period that needed to be reviewed, and she was down to her last cup of coffee. She sighed and figured she'd see just how far into the frames she'd get before the caffeine wore off. That thought firmly in place, Sam skipped forward to where she knew the frames in question started, and then she settled into her chair and watched the show.

The first few frames were just still shots of them standing around while Daniel and Kakashi were sitting in their beds. It wasn't until five or six frames into it that things started to get interesting. The flash of the Zats seemed even more horrifying when viewed in this method, and the resulting deaths of her fellow SGC members would now be burned into her memories forever. But she had to keep watching if there would be any chance of figuring out just how the sequence of events had occurred. And she didn't have to wait for too long.

While the one soldier had been firing the Zat around the room, the other headed straight toward Daniel with a wickedly curved knife. Sam's eyes went wide at the sight of it. Up to now, she hadn't realized just what was used to cause such a severe injury to her friend. Watching the attack unravel frame by frame made her heart race, and it only got worse when she saw her dad moving in to wrestle the man away from Daniel. She cringed when she saw the pummel of the knife make contact with his head and it was only through seeing it happen this slowly that she could note how pointed that pummel was.

It took her a moment to realize she'd missed Kakashi's move off of his bed, and she frowned as she paused the playback and backed it up frame by frame. This time she focused entirely on the bed where the silver-haired man had been laying until he was magically there once more. Sam then advanced the film one frame and had to blink her eyes a dozen times before finally convincing herself of what she was seeing. Even though there was only one image of everyone else in the shot, there were at least ten overlapping images of Kakashi showing his path from the bed to the man with the Zat.

Sam advanced to the next frame and noted another series of overlapping figures while the rest of them hadn't moved at all. Well, except for Kakashi's target in the last frame, who was now lying on the floor between the beds. This time the silver-haired man's trail led him to Daniel's attacker and when she advanced another frame, both attackers were tied up with the wires from the heart monitor and Kakashi had Daniel secured in his arms. The frame that followed had Sam questioning her sanity as it showed the man, quite literally, walking up the wall until he made it to the ceiling.

She settled back in her chair and let out a low whistle. "Holy Hannah! How the heck does _anybody_ move that fast?"

Sam leaned forward and pressed the key that would advance to the next frame, but nothing much really showed on it, except for her and Janet pulling her dad to the side, and the occasional drip of blood from Daniel's spot on the ceiling. It wasn't until Colonel O'Neill showed up that things changed. Everything still moved as still shots for the entire room until, from one frame to the next, a dozen images of Kakashi and Daniel led from the ceiling down to the floor. Again, it looked like the man just walked down the surface as though it was a level section of sidewalk.

Sam pressed a few more buttons on her keyboard and sent the twenty or so frames of interest to the printer. Maybe if she showed them to her dad and Selmak they might be able to figure out just what this guy was, or at least where he came from. She waited impatiently for the last print, and then headed out to the secure infirmary, figuring the Tok'ra her dad shared his body with wouldn't be able to resist learning all they could about the mysterious Kakashi Hatake.

* * *

Iruka had never been this nervous in front of a Hokage in his entire life. But somehow, the thought of challenging Lady Tsunade's ruling that Kakashi was dead scared him more than the very first time he'd instructed a class of pre-genin in the proper ways to throw shuriken and kunai. And it didn't help that even Naruto was uncharacteristically subdued today.

Still, he owed it to his jonin friend to at least try to discover just what proof the woman had used to justify carving the Copy-ninja's name onto the Village memorial. After all, if it had been him who had gone missing, he'd hope somebody would have checked every possibility before putting chisel to stone.

But as he stood at attention in front of the leader of Konoha, he couldn't help but wish he was able to put forth even half the bored exterior that Kakashi managed every day of his life. Instead he was chewing on his bottom lip with a steady stream of sweat creeping down the back of his neck. He was starting to wonder if the Hokage had forgotten they were in the room when she slowly raised her golden eyes to stare at him. Those eyes seemed dull in the filtered light that was streaming in from the vents of the tent that was being used as a temporary Hokage's office, and Iruka frowned at just how tired Tsunade truly looked.

"Well?"

The sound of her voice caused him to jump a bit, and he cursed himself for having such a reaction. He was about to answer her simple question, when Naruto launched into what was sure to go down in Konoha history as the worst request for information..._ever_.

"Why would you give up on Kakashi-sensei so quickly, Granny-Tsunade? He'd never give up on you! But you're just writing him off like...like...like he doesn't even matter! How can you be so utterly heartless! How could you even call yourself Hokage if you aren't willing to...mmmph!"

It was at this point that Iruka finally snapped out of his stupor and firmly clamped his hand over Naruto's mouth. At the same time he noticed the narrowing of the Hokage's eyes and bulging of the veins at her temples, and he knew he'd need to act quickly if there would be any chance of redeeming this meeting.

"Forgive Naruto's mouth, Lady Hokage. He is having trouble coming to terms with the great losses of the War."

Tsunade's eyes narrowed even farther, and her lips pulled back in a snarl which was matched by the tone of her words. "The only loss that kid can't seem to stomach is that of the damned Brat. Shinobi die. It's part of the job. Tell him to get over it!"

Iruka felt Naruto shudder in reaction to her words, and he felt the moisture of hot tears fall on the back of the hand covering the young man's mouth. Something inside of Iruka snapped in that moment, and he felt the heat of anger crawl up his neck and across his face. He let go of Naruto and moved over to lean on the Hokage's temporary desk until they were nearly nose to nose. Her eyes widened slightly...probably due to his rudeness...but Iruka couldn't care less.

"You want _him_ to get over it? How would you suggest he does that? He's too young to drown his sorrows in saké like _you_ obviously have! How else could _you_ have given up on finding Kakashi, or at least his body?"

Tsunade's face tinted a shade of red that rivaled a cherry, and before Iruka had a chance to register the movement, his vest was held tightly within Tsunade's fingers and he was lifted up off the floor.

"How _dare you _speak to me in such a way? If I didn't need you to teach the next batch of snot-nosed pre-genin I'd be sorely tempted to throw your sorry ass off a cliff!"

Iruka knew that if his eyes grew any wider his eyeballs would likely fall out of his head, and he figured the Hokage was coming to the same conclusion as she let loose a large sigh and set him back down on the floor. The moment he was standing again she sank back into her chair and leaned her head onto her hands. Iruka tried to find his voice once more, hoping he hadn't just destroyed their only chance to learn the truth.

"Forgive me, Lady Tsunade...I was just..."

She held up a hand and Iruka instantly silenced himself. When she spoke next, the sorrow in her voice nearly brought Iruka to his knees.

"What makes either of you two think it was so easy for me to have the Brat's name carved on that stone? Nobody wanted Kakashi to be alive more than I did. _Nobody_!"

An awkward silence filled the room for a handful of minutes before Naruto's emotion-filled voice hovered in the air. "Why would you even care? Shinobi die. It's part of the job."

Iruka saw Tsunade cringe as her own words were so callously thrown back at her. He braced himself for another assault from the women, so when she motioned for them to take a seat he was a bit confused.

"You want to know why I would care, is that it Naruto?"

Iruka dared a glance over to the right and saw Naruto nodding his head in response to the Hokage's question. He breathed in relief that the boy seemed willing to listen for a change. When he turned his attention back toward Tsunade, he was surprised to see her staring at him. He swallowed down the lump of fear that was trying to creep up his throat.

"And what about you, Iruka? What is that you want to know?"

He felt the blush of embarrassment heat his cheeks and he cleared his throat before answering. "If you don't mind, Lady Hokage, I'd like to know what methods you used to confirm Kakashi Hatake's death."

* * *

Tsunade stared at the two shinobi sitting across from her. She had to admit, that once she got beyond her own anger at their rudeness, the concerns they were voicing were the very ones that'd kept her awake every night since she'd learned of Kakashi's final battle. And if she was truly honest with herself, she'd acknowledge the fact that she needed to talk about this with someone if she was ever to let it all go.

Still, it was times like this that she missed having Jiraiya around to chat with. For all his obvious faults as Konoha's biggest pervert, that man had really known how to listen. And just his presence had been enough to make her think anything was possible. But she was pretty sure that even he would have given up hope on Sakumo's brat this time.

"Okay, listen up. Because I'm only going to tell this story once. Got that?"

She saw both heads bob up and down and she took a deep breath before launching into her tale. "Back when I was a pre-genin, I was treated like I had a disease by all the other kids in my class. No one wanted anything to do with the granddaughter of the First Hokage, after all.

But then something happened that changed everything. The Second and Third Hokage allowed a new family to join Konoha. And that new family consisted of Tariho Hatake and his son, Sakumo."

Tsunade noticed the look of shock on both Iruka and Naruto's faces and she chuckled a bit before continuing. "What? At least you, Iruka, must have considered this possibility. After all, how many other primary lightning users do you recall in Konoha's history, hmm? Anyhow, when the Hatake arrived, their first order of business was to enroll the boy into the Academy."

Tsunade paused for a moment, thinking back to the day the young Sakumo was introduced to the class. The boy looked a good three years younger than she and the others were, and between that and his penchant for unruly hair and wearing a mask, he was quickly ridiculed by the very kids who'd abused her up to this point. But the kid never seemed to care what the others thought of him. He simply spent all his time reading the textbooks, and practicing everything from shuriken throwing to actual jutsu during every recess they had.

Tsunade found this strange boy intriguing, and soon she was joined by two others who seemed equally curious over this new addition to Konoha...Jiraiya and Orochimaru. If it hadn't been for Sakumo coming to the Village, Tsunade would probably have quit the Academy long before graduation.

"Much like his son, Sakumo sped through the Academy in record time, and actually graduated a full two years before me, Jiraiya or Orochimaru. But what's more, Sakumo never let anything he heard the other kids say affect him in any way. In fact, he went out of his way to prove them wrong whenever possible. So he decided to talk to me one day after someone told him that I was the reason none of them could go on the field trip that had recently been canceled.

It turned out that the trip was canceled because the chaperons who had been assigned the task had gone missing on their last mission to Rock Country. But even I didn't know that until Sakumo convinced me to infiltrate the Hokage Tower to listen in on a meeting of the Elders."

Naruto's eyes went wide at that and he finally seemed to find his voice. "You used to _spy_ on the Hokage?"

She felt a faint blush creep across her cheeks. "Yeah, well I tried not to make a habit of it. Anyhow, Sakumo, Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and I ended up forming a pretty tight friendship. While others were playing during their recess, the four of us would find new ways to challenge one another in everything from jutsu to traps. Before we knew it though, Sakumo was being given his headband and sent off to join his first genin team."

"What about you, Granny-Tsunade?" Naruto seemed completely caught up in the tale.

"Like I said before, the rest of us didn't graduate until two years later. By that time, Sakumo was already a chunin and leading C-ranked missions that took him out of the Village for weeks at a time."

This time Iruka was the one to interrupt. "Although I truly appreciate the history lesson, Hokage, what does this have to do with our questions?"

Tsunade sighed. Leave it to the sensei to ruin the mood. "I'm getting to that, Iruka. Once we graduated and were placed into Sarutobi-sensei's team, we raced through the ranks as well. Add to that the fact that we were on the brink of war and the years just seemed to soar by.

But whenever we all managed to be in the village at the same time, we would make it a point to hang out together. It was during these times that we'd continue trying out new ways to further our jutsu beyond the ordinary. Orochimaru concentrated on learning as many jutsu as he could, I concentrated on stretching the limits of the healing chakra, Sakumo discovered how to wrap his unique white chakra around his blade making it more lethal than before, and Jiraiya...well...Jiraiya used the time to write."

Naruto crossed his arms in front of him. "I get it. You were friends with Kakashi-sensei's dad. But that doesn't explain why you'd care what happens to his kid."

Tsunade smiled at the boy. "No, I suppose it doesn't. Years later, when I was involved with someone, and happier than I should have been in the middle of a war, Sakumo came to me and asked for my help. I certainly couldn't turn down a friend, especially not him. He brought me to meet his girlfriend who was already expecting his child, and she was having some problems with the pregnancy."

She noticed the look of confusion on Naruto's face and chuckled. "What's wrong, kid? Did you think Kakashi's parents were married?"

A faint blush colored the boy's face. "Well yeah...I mean...yes?"

She watched Iruka place a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Times were very different back then, Naruto. It was rare for shinobi to marry."

Naruto's confusion only grew. "I don't get it."

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "Listen up. If you are a powerful shinobi, like Sakumo was once he'd earned the nickname of The White Fang, any connections to others could be used against you. If Sakumo's enemies knew about her, they would have tracked her down and either kidnapped her or killed her just for being his wife. And if they learned she was carrying his child...well, it wouldn't have been pretty."

"That's awful!"

"Yes it is, but that's the life of a shinobi. Now are you going to shut up long enough for me to finish?"

"Yeah, alright." She watched Naruto rub at the back of his neck, looking so much like Kakashi it was scary.

"Like I was saying, Sakumo wanted me to help, so I tried. But when I was doing a scan of her and the baby, something wasn't quite right. The baby was in distress and I wasn't sure I could save him. His chakra pathways were developing at a faster rate than his body could handle, and if it continued to progress unchecked there was a ninety-eight percent chance that the pregnancy would terminate prematurely, taking both the mother and child's life."

Naruto was now leaning forward in his chair. "But you fixed it, right? Because Kakashi was born!"

Tsunade sighed. "Who's telling this story, kid? I explained everything to Sakumo and he was devastated. After all, I was basically telling him that his kid probably wasn't gonna make it, and his girl would likely die along with the baby.

I tried to convince them to terminate the pregnancy then and there. It would have saved the mother and allowed them to try again, but Sakumo wouldn't hear it. Evidently he and the girl both had the same exact dream the night before, and whatever that dream had been made them both into stubborn fools when it came to that unborn baby."

She paused a moment and ran a hand across her forehead, trying to rub away the headache that she would have sworn had been with her ever since that argument. "Eventually they convinced me to try something I'd never done before...and I'll _never_ do again."

Both Naruto and Iruka frowned at her and spoke at the same time. "What did you do?"

When she spoke, her words were barely above a whisper. "They asked me to use the mother's body as a means to siphon that excessive chakra away from the boy until his developing body was ready to reabsorb it again."

She saw Iruka's eyes go wide and knew he understood what she'd ultimately done. Still, it stung when the chunin put it into words. "You destroyed her body in order to give Kakashi the chance to survive. How did you ever get authorization to do such a thing?"

Tsunade sighed. "I didn't. She didn't want anyone to know what we were doing. And I couldn't say no...not to her."

She watched Iruka's reaction carefully, knowing what his next question would be before it even left his lips. "Why couldn't you say no? Who was she to you?"

Tsunade let a small smile turn up the corner of her lips. "Her name was Soyokaze Senju. She was the only child of Tobirama Senju...the Second Hokage. She was my cousin and my best friend. And I swore to her and Sakumo to watch over the Brat."

She chuckled humorlessly. "Guess I failed at that one."

* * *

It had been nearly a week since Kakashi had been brought to the SGC, and he was only just starting to truly recover from the overuse of his Mangekyo sharingan technique. But at least he _was_ recovering. At first he'd been afraid that he'd pushed the eye too far and he'd lose use of it altogether. But with each day of rest, the vision in the scarlet and black eye had slowly returned.

Granted, he still couldn't use it for more than a few moments at a time before being slammed by a killer migraine, but at least it had stopped throbbing all the time. The main problem he was currently having was the fact that every time he tried to do more than lie flat on his back, someone was there to stop him. If it hadn't been for the distraction of Daniel's conversations he would have probably gone quite mad by now.

But it turned out that the man held an insatiable appetite for knowledge, and as such, was more than willing to let slip some details to Kakashi in exchange for mundane facts about where he'd come from. Because of these discussions, he now knew for a fact what he had only suspected...he was deep underground in something called the Cheyenne Mountain Complex. According to Daniel every level of this place had top notch security, including cameras, sensors, guards and numerous card-key checkpoints.

Kakashi smiled at the memory of how he'd managed to get that more detailed information from Daniel simply by suggesting he was nervous that the Goa'uld might find a way to break into the facility. Sometimes it was unbelievable just how trusting the people were around this place. So long as he wasn't acting dangerous, or walking on ceilings, every single person around him was rather easy to get information from. The only true exception to that so far had been Jack O'Neill.

To say the man was abrasive would be a vast understatement. For whatever reason, Jack had decided Kakashi was his personal project. No matter what Kakashi was doing, that man would show up to personally oversee it. At times it took every ounce of Kakashi's carefully groomed patience to keep from breaking the man's neck for interrupting his and Daniel's conversations. And it was always for the same reason. The idiot would stroll over and lean in close before asking the exact same thing every time.

"So how'd ya do it, Tree Frog?"

Daniel would apologize for the crass man, and eventually Jack would wander off somewhere else when he realized Kakashi was ignoring him. Thankfully others in this place weren't quite so persistent, or as aware of their personal space. Obtaining the card-key off of one of the soldiers assigned to bring his meals had been almost _too_ easy. And once he'd calculated the length of time it took for the cameras mounted at the corners of the ceiling to do a full sweep of the room, he'd managed to locate the one and only blind spot to those prying eyes.

So he waited and watched, and on the fifth day Kakashi managed to use his restored chakra to do two things. First, he created a clone within that blind spot that would withstand a few pokes and prods without disappearing, and second, he used a modified version of a henge that actually relied on the shifting of muscles and changing of hair pigment to allow a copy of a person without relying on genjutsu. After all, no matter how advanced an illusion a shinobi could create, it could never fool a machine like a camera.

He had slipped under the hospital bed and waited for his next meal to be delivered. Like clockwork, the group of five men arrived to set the tray of bland food on his lap and wait while his clone ate it. Those men included three soldiers who looked far too bored for their own good, and two men that were dressed in the same generic hospital wear that they'd put him in days ago. Once the food was gone, the tray was collected and the group of men headed back out again...completely unaware that the group of five had grown by one. And when they all turned toward one of the endless hallways, Kakashi went in the opposite direction, eager to begin his exploration of the facility he was currently trapped in.

It didn't take him long to figure out the reason for the brightly colored lines on the concrete floors, and even less time to know which color to avoid. The red line seemed to be the way the majority of the armed personnel traveled, which meant it was the last place he wanted to be. The blue line led to the mechanical lift that he could vaguely remember being in when they'd first brought him here, so he figured that if he wanted to find the way out of this place, this was the way to go.

He had noticed several other people using their key-cards to activate the thing, so he mimicked what he'd seen with his own purloined key-card. The lightbar at the top of the device flashed from red to steady green and a few moments later the doors slid open with a groan. He stepped aside to let a handful of soldiers out, and then let himself into the steel box. A panel of buttons were set into the wall that contained the doors, and he selected one that seemed the most worn from use, which just happened to be the top button on the panel. He was gambling that it would be for the exit floor of the facility, so he was a bit disappointed to find no sign of a way out when he stepped back out of the lift.

While he was trying to figure out what to do next, a shrill alarm sounded and the hallway was doused in red light from the twirling lights along the walls. He had to fight the urge to crouch into a fighting position, and instead he pressed his back against the wall to keep from being run over by a group of armed men running his way. Fortunately they seemed to be more interested with getting to a specific location rather than stopping to question him.

"Unscheduled gate activation! Defensive Team Alpha to the Gate Room!"

Now that sounded quite promising. Perhaps he might actually learn something about just how to get out of here and figure out how to get back to Konoha. He stepped back into the corridor and moved with purpose in the direction the others had gone. He was about to turn a corner when he stopped in his tracks. Something had caused his clone to be dispatched, and he took a moment to absorb the information the creation had experienced during its short existence.

Evidently Selmak and General Hammond were trying to help him remember details of his experience with the Goa'uld, and the process included placing a small disc onto his temple to stimulate his memories. Unfortunately it was in that instant that the clone dispatched unexpectedly.

"Shit! What the hell were they trying to do?"

A moment later and another announcement, paired with more obnoxiously bright red lights, rang through the hallway.

"Security breach, Level S-14! Secure all exits! Search teams to checkpoints four, six, eight and ten for floor by floor search."

Kakashi figured there was still a chance for all of this to work to his advantage when he saw a group of orderlies rushing down the hall in the same direction the armed men had gone earlier. He'd just tag along and figure it all out from wherever these folks were headed. Unfortunately his plan was doomed to fail the moment it was created...which became obvious when the first orderly came into view and stopped dead to stare at him with his mouth gaping and his finger pointing straight at Kakashi. It was the exact man he was copying.

"Dammit..."

Kakashi dropped the henge, figuring there was no point in wasting the chakra to maintain it, and lifted his hands into position to attempt a body shift jutsu. It was a bit more difficult when in unfamiliar surroundings, but he had figured it would be better than staying here. Unfortunately he hadn't counted on a new group of soldiers careening around another corner in response to the alarms still going off all around them. So when his body felt the jolt of electricity surge through it, he'd been unprepared to absorb or deflect it, and his muscles collapsed from the intensity of the burst.

Muffled voices pushed their way through his foggy brain, and when he recognized one of them was Colonel O'Neill's, Kakashi couldn't help but groan.


	8. Questions and Answers

Chapter 8

Questions and Answers

Jack sat back in his chair and watched as General Hammond flipped through the latest report on their 'guest.' Across the table from him, Daniel, Teal'c, and Carter were doing the same. Not a minute went by before Daniel shook his head at what he was reading, and then he leveled a look at him that made it crystal clear that he didn't agree with something that Jack had written down.

"Kakashi is...how did you put it? Ah, here it is...'...a potential threat to National security.' Really, Jack?"

He leaned his elbows on the table and glared straight at Daniel. "The guy can walk on ceilings like Spiderman, move faster than the freakin' Flash, make copies of himself that disappear in a puff of smoke when poked, and make himself look like anybody he wants without any of those alien doo-hickies we've run into in the past. What part of that _isn't_ a potential threat to National security?"

Daniel frowned at him. "That's not fair, Jack."

Jack pushed himself back into his chair with a sigh. "I know you think this guy is your personal savior, but even _you_ have to admit he's a bit cagey."

"Why's that, Jack? Because Kakashi doesn't fit into your narrow little view on what's normal, and what's not?"

Jack rolled his eyes. How many times did he have to suffer through one of Daniel's holier-than-thou rants? He was about to say just that when a deep voice from directly behind him caused him to tense every muscle in his body.

"For the record, folks...I don't fit into _most_ people's view of what 'normal' is...even back home."

Teal'c was on his feet instantly, his hands clenched while his face betrayed his desire for his staff weapon. Carter's eyes were wide with surprise, and even Daniel seemed a bit spooked by the sudden appearance. But before anyone could move much farther, General Hammond took control of the situation.

"Perhaps you'd like to take a seat, Son, so that we can all discuss this calmly?"

Jack turned around and saw that the man was leaning back against the wall with his arms folded casually across his chest, and his legs crossed at his ankles. He still wore the hospital scrubs from the infirmary. His silver hair stuck out at odd angles, making it look like the man had just woken up. His left eye was covered by that headband thingy Carter'd returned to him, and his other eye made it look like he was still half asleep. There was no sign of the restraints that he'd personally placed on him when they'd returned him to the secure infirmary the day before.

A single nod of the silver-haired head clued them all in that the man was about to move, but still, when the guy simply pushed himself away from the wall and slowly walked to the chair nearest to General Hammond, Jack had to admit that it was a bit of a let down. Where was that superhero-worthy speed?

Before the man had managed to pull the chair out to sit down, the base alarm started to blare, followed by the announcement that there was a security breech from the secure infirmary...as if they hadn't already figured _that_ part out. A moment later, and there was a sharp knock on the door just before it was pushed open. Two rather frazzled soldiers stepped into the room, and any words that they might have been about to speak disappeared when their eyes caught sight of the man that they were supposed to have been guarding.

The younger of the two soldiers gripped his P-90 and leveled it at Kakashi's back. "How the hell did you _do_ that!"

Jack watched a sly grin creep across the Tree-frog's face as he lifted one hand up in front of his chest. The pointer and middle finger of his hand were held straight up, while his thumb held down the remaining two fingers. In the time it took for Jack to blink, the man disappeared from where he'd been, and his voice was now coming from behind Daniel.

"Pretty much like that."

The soldier immediately swung his P-90 toward the man with a growl, and Jack was on his feet in an instant to push the muzzle end of the weapon toward the floor before something unfortunate could happen...like Daniel getting caught in the crossfire...again. Meanwhile, General Hammond took control once more.

"Why don't you two gentleman wait outside the room until I call you back in? I believe General Hatake and I need to have a conversation right about now."

The soldiers glanced between Jack, General Hammond, and the silver-haired man...who was now leaning against the window that overlooked the debarkation room. Jack let loose a large sigh and nodded to the men.

"You heard the General. Go ahead. We'll let you know if you're needed."

They both frowned, but did as ordered. Once they were out of the room with the door firmly closed behind them, Jack made his way back to his seat and glared over to where the man was still leaning. For his part, the Tree-frog didn't seem at all aware of just how much of a pain in the ass he really was. In fact, he still looked like he was barely awake.

Jack leaned his elbows on the table and caught Daniel's attention. "You still think he's all sunshine and rainbows, Danny?"

"Colonel, you aren't helping things."

The frustration in General Hammond's voice was almost enough to make Jack feel guilty...almost. Instead he leaned back in his chair and glanced toward the older man. "Sorry, Sir. I was just curious."

The Tree-frog actually chuckled as he slowly walked over to sit in an empty chair between Carter and Hammond. "Sunshine and rainbows, huh? That's a new one for me."

"Ignore him, Kakashi. Jack always insults things that he doesn't understand." Daniel's voice sounded more than a bit pissed off.

"What? Are you telling me that..." Jack waved his hands toward the silver-haired man. "...whatever the hell it was that he just did...didn't freak you out?"

He watched Daniel and the freak share a smirk. "Trust me, Jack. It was nowhere near as freaky as when he takes you with him."

He felt his eyes go wide and his jaw drop open a bit as he stared in shocked silence at the man he _thought _he knew. Thankfully General Hammond wasn't having a similar problem.

"Dr. Jackson, are you telling us that you've witnessed General Hatake use this..._skill_...before?"

The smirk on Daniel's face stretched into an excited grin. "Actually, Sir, it was sort of how Kakashi managed to get us out of the Goa'uld's hands."

That snapped Jack out of his stupor. "Don't you think that _maybe_ you should have mentioned that little fact in your debriefing?"

Daniel rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. "With so much else going on, I guess I just sort of forgot about it."

Jack sprang out of his seat and leaned his hands on the table. "You _forgot_? How the hell does somebody _forget_ something like _that_?"

Daniel frowned at him. "I don't know, Jack. Maybe I was a little bit distracted by _running for my life!"_

* * *

Kakashi watched the two men throw insults at each other for a bit before he started wondering if this was how they always did things on this world. If so, he truly wondered how the hell they'd avoided being wiped out by now. He turned his head toward where General Hammond was rubbing at his temples in an obvious attempt to avoid a coming headache, and in that moment Kakashi had a clear memory of the Third Hokage using that same movement after meeting with Team Seven so many years ago.

He sighed and decided that if he was ever going to see Konoha again, he really needed to make it clear to these people that he was _not_ a lab rat, and that trying to make him one was _not_ an option. He ignored the continuing banter between Daniel and his...friends...and started the conversation that rightfully should have been started days ago.

"As much as I'm enjoying my time here, General Hammond, I'd like to discuss my options regarding finding my way home."

The General met his eyes and pressed his lips into a thin line before shifting his gaze to the remaining occupants of the room. "Alright, people. Let's settle down now. We have more than a bit to discuss today."

Kakashi hid a smirk as the noise in the room finally settled to mild grumbling on Jack's part. Once everyone's attention was back on General Hammond, the older man got straight to the point.

"I'm sure that you're all aware of this by now, but General Hatake is eager to return to his home."

Jack pushed himself up to standing. "You've _got_ to be kidding me! You're just gonna let him go?"

Kakashi's voice was ice cold as he responded. "There is nothing you can do to stop me, Colonel O'Neill."

Teal'c's deep voice wiped away the stunned silence that had filled the room after Kakashi's declaration. "You were not impervious to the Zat'nik'tel."

Kakashi turned to face the Jaffa and tipped his head to one side. "That will _not_ happen again. Although, to be fair, I should thank the Colonel for shooting me with it in the first place."

The surprise in Daniel's voice nearly caused Kakashi's serious look to slip. "Did you honestly just thank Jack...for _shooting _you?"

He leaned back and allowed a small grin to stretch across his lips. "Perhaps I misspoke. But if the Colonel hadn't used the Zat'nik'tel on me, I doubt that the flow in my chakra pathways would have fixed itself so quickly."

Jack glowered at him. "And just what does that mean?"

Now Kakashi did smile. "It means that the trouble I was having with replenishing my chakra seems to have resolved itself."

He watched Jack's eyes roll. "Somebody want to translate for me?"

Kakashi watched in silence as the only woman in the room leaned forward. "I'll give it a try, Sir. Daniel mentioned something about this chakra running through channels in the body, similar to blood-vessels, I think. And that Kakashi's have been blocked or narrowed somehow since he left his world. So, when you hit him with the Zat-gun, it must have unblocked those pathways, giving him the ability to access the unique chakra energy in a way that allowed him to use it to manipulate the space around him. Although from what Daniel just said it looks like he could manipulate space even with the pathways partially blocked, which makes me wonder what else he'll be able to do now that they're unblocked."

The way the woman's eyes sparkled when she started extrapolating about just what his chakra might be capable of reminded Kakashi of the gleam that would enter Gai's eyes every time the man showed up with another ridiculous challenge. The faint grin on Kakashi's face turned into a frown. If watching a smart, beautiful woman speaking about the theories of space manipulation caused him to think fondly of the pointless challenges from his self-proclaimed 'Eternal Rival,' then he _definitely_ needed to get back home...soon...and probably have a psych eval done.

"Kakashi? Are you okay?"

He looked up and found everyone's attention on him. Kakashi ran a hand across the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. Just trying to figure out the mechanics to getting back."

Teal'c looked at him with what seemed to be confusion. "Do you not know the Gate address for your home-world, Kakashi Hatake?"

"That would make it simpler, but I have never seen, nor heard, of anything like the Stargate anywhere in the Five Great Countries."

The Jaffa frowned at him. "You must be mistaken."

Kakashi sighed. "Are you telling me that there are no other ways to travel to other locations?"

Teal'c's eyes narrowed. "With a Ha'tak or Al'kesh one could travel from world to world."

"I see. And if one needed to travel elsewhere?"

A look of confusion fell across Teal'c's features. Meanwhile, Kakashi's attention was caught by the sound of Daniel's chair being turned toward him. He could tell by the look in the archaeologist's eyes that the man was recalling a discussion that the two of them had shared earlier.

"Kakashi, in every conversation you and I have had about where you are from, you've never stated the name of your planet. And I'm pretty sure I know why."

General Hammond spoke, bringing to light what was likely on everyone's minds after Daniel's proclamation, and making it clear to Kakashi just why this man was in charge. "Doctor Jackson, are you suggesting that Kakashi's home-world is Earth?"

"Well, General, if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. The fact that his native language is just this side of traditional Japanese was my first clue. But anytime I showed Kakashi an atlas of our world, he was able to place names to most of the major land masses. The names weren't any that I was familiar with, but when we switched to star charts, he was able to name more than a few of our constellations...as well as our Galaxy."

Jack looked like he was about to have steam billowing from his ears. "Seriously? Why didn't you just give him plans to the whole damn complex while you were at it, Daniel?"

"Colonel!" The clipped, warning tone of General Hammond's voice seemed to keep to man in check.

Daniel, for his part, simply glared at Jack and picked up where he'd left off. "Everything is pointing toward Kakashi's world being another dimension of our own world."

Major Carter leaned forward with a look of doubt on her face. "But if that's true, Daniel, then why did he appear on another world instead of Earth?"

"I might know the reason for that one." Every eye turned toward Kakashi. "The dojutsu I was attempting to use at the time creates a dimensional pocket around whatever I'm targeting."

General Hammond interrupted his explanation. "What exactly is a dojutsu, Son?"

Kakashi scratched at the back of his neck. "Ah, yes. Forgive me, General. A dojutsu is what we call the skill, or technique, that relies upon a genetic predisposition within certain eyes."

The blank stares he was met with made it clear that his explanation did nothing to clarify his words. He let loose a large sigh and tried again. "I have the ability to transport matter to another dimension by staring at it."

For a moment he was afraid he'd have to try another means of explaining, but thankfully at least Major Carter seemed to pick up enough from what he'd said. "So, unless you were staring at yourself, then how did you get caught up in your own dojutsu?"

He smiled at her, pleased to see she actually did grasp at least the basics. "Unfortunately, the target I was aiming at has a similar version of dojutsu as well. The best that I can figure it, when our two techniques met, the result was enough to suck me into a dimensional pocket that just happened to deposit me into one of the wormholes that cross through your own dimension."

Now Daniel picked up the topic. "That would definitely explain why you remember exiting the event horizon even though you had no memories of stepping through a Gate."

Jack leaned forward and directed his gaze toward the Major. "Carter, is that even a possibility?"

"Well Sir, I really don't know enough about this chakra that Kakashi has, but based on what we've witnessed of his abilities with space manipulation so far, I think dimensional manipulation when he's at full strength wouldn't be too far-fetched."

General Hammond rubbed his hand across his forehead. "So the question isn't whether or not he can manipulate dimensions, it's whether or not we can recreate the conditions that caused Kakashi to leave his dimension in the first place, right?"

Kakashi couldn't help but chuckle a bit at that comment. "I'm afraid that won't be too easy, General. From what I've seen so far, people in this dimension don't seem to have more than a negligible amount of chakra, let alone enough to form into a higher level dojutsu."

"I see. So then, people, what other methods might we have at our disposal?"

Kakashi raised his eyebrow at that comment. "Other methods?"

Daniel grinned at him. "What's wrong, Kakashi? Did you really think that your people were the only ones out there to meddle with dimensional traveling?"

Major Carter smiled at Daniel's words. "Of course! That's brilliant, Daniel." She turned her attention toward the General. "Sir, how hard would it be to get authorization to access the Dimensional Mirror?"

Kakashi had to admit that his curiosity was piqued. "A Dimensional Mirror?"

Daniel reached down next to his chair and lifted a worn brown leather satchel onto the surface of the table. "Hold on a second. I know that I have a photo of it in here somewhere."

Kakashi had to fight back a chuckle when the sight of Daniel rifling through his papers brought the clear memory of Iruka Umino performing a similar search through his Academy papers. He'd been looking for a Mission Report that Kakashi had convinced the chunin was mistakenly left amidst the papers that Iruka had been seen grading earlier in the day at the mission desk.

The urge to laugh disappeared when that memory shifted to the moment he'd kept Pein from taking Iruka's life when the Akatsuki attacked Konoha just before the start of the Fourth Ninja War. That memory was so crystal clear that, when Daniel declared success and pulled out a glossy photo, Kakashi had to blink back a vision of the dark-haired Academy Teacher that seemed to overlay itself on the archaeologist's features.

Fortunately no one in the room seemed to notice his momentary confusion, and he found himself staring down at a picture of a standing mirror that, quite honestly, looked rather unimpressive. A second photo joined the first. This one seemed to be some type of controller. He looked up into Daniel's beaming face.

"Kakashi, if we can get the mirror tuned into your reality, then we can get you home!"

"With a mirror?" He hoped the slight hitch in his voice would be mistaken for disbelief, and not the fact that he had been more shaken from his memories than he'd expected.

When Daniel seemed to deflate from Kakashi's reaction, Major Carter stepped in. "Don't be fooled by it's appearance. When this device is activated, it opens a window into another dimension. The smaller device is actually used to sift through the numerous dimensional variations until you find the one you're looking for."

Kakashi was about to ask about the mechanics behind the device when General Hammond spoke up.

"Don't get your hopes up people. After the trouble that we had the last time this particular device was activated, I doubt that it will be all that easy to convince those in Washington to chance having us using it again. And I'm sure that you all are equally aware that this move would require full disclosure regarding our guest."

Kakashi frowned. "You cannot gain access to this device without this disclosure?"

"No, Son. Not without causing more than a bit of trouble. And trouble is something that the SGC really can't afford these days."

Jack made a derisive snort. "If the damn bureaucrats would just keep their noses out of it, we wouldn't _have_ any trouble."

The General shot a disappointed look toward the man. "Colonel O'Neill..."

"I know. Sorry, Sir. But you have to admit that they have a nasty habit of showing up at the worst possible moments."

Kakashi was starting to think that these nameless bureaucrats sounded just like Konoha's own Elders when there was a sharp rap on the door. All eyes shifted toward it as it was opened, and someone he hadn't met yet walked into the room. He looked to be a bit older than himself, and was wearing a uniform similar to the more formal type that General Hammond was wearing. Something in how this dark-haired man carried himself, and in how those in the room reacted to his presence, made it clear that he was likely from wherever this 'Washington' place was.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, General."

A slight frown settled on Hammond's face. "I don't suppose that this means that the prisoners have confessed already, does it Major Davis?"

"No Sir, I'm afraid it doesn't. In fact, we may need a bit of _extra_ help, if you get what I'm meaning."

Kakashi watched as the General shook his head slightly. "If you're sure that there's no other way, Major..."

Jack leaned forward onto the table. "Oh, for cryin' out loud. There's no need to call in the Tok'ra for something like this. Just give me ten minutes with 'em, General, and they'll tell everything that they know."

Major Davis stepped farther into the room, closing the door behind him. "That's the problem, Colonel O'Neill. Neither man can remember anything about the day they attacked Doctor Jackson."

Daniel ran one hand along his still healing injury. "They don't remember slicing my arm open?"

Major Davis sighed in obvious frustration. "Actually, they both claim that they don't remember anything at all since the moment SG-1 returned here after rescuing you, until they were dragged out of the secure infirmary. And the lie detector test tends to support them."

Jack settled back in his chair. "Well, isn't that just a bit too convenient? And what do we do if the Tok'ra don't have anything to magically access their brains, hmmm?"

General Hammond sighed. "I'm afraid we won't have a choice in this matter, Colonel. The men will be turned over to Washington and will likely spend their remaining days in prison."

Daniel and Major Carter seemed upset over what Kakashi had figured was the best solution, considering the obvious limits to the SGC's interrogation skills. He couldn't help but voice what was on his mind.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but would you feel better about these men going to prison if they could actually remember the act?"

All attention shifted toward him, and he shrugged. "I'm simply pointing out that your goal shouldn't be getting them to remember what they did."

Major Davis frowned and turned toward the General. "I'm sorry, Sir, but who exactly is this?"

"Major Davis, this is General Hatake. He was kind enough to help Doctor Jackson out a time or two."

Kakashi lifted his hand to his forehead and gave the man a two-fingered salute. "Yo."

The man's dark eyes narrowed and a frown settled on his lips. "So if our goal shouldn't be getting them to remember what they did, then just what do you feel our goal _should_ be?"

At this, Kakashi met the man's gaze steadily. "Personally, I'd want to know just who they were sent by. And perhaps if anyone else was coming to get Daniel."

Jack chuckled at him. "Did you miss the part where Davis pointed out that they didn't remember anything?"

"Just because they do not remember, does not mean that they do not know."

Jack just stared at him for a moment before finally responding. "That sounded like something in a fortune cookie, for God's sake! What the hell does that even mean?"

Kakashi shrugged. "It means that sometimes you may need to look underneath the underneath to find what you're truly looking for."

He watched Jack throw his hands up in obvious annoyance. "Again with the fortunes! Does this guy ever just speak plain English?"

Kakashi chuckled and stood up. "Perhaps a demonstration would be enough to explain it to you, Colonel." He turned toward General Hammond and bowed slightly. "With your permission, General, I'd like to offer my services in discovering just what the men are involved in."

Major Carter answered before Hammond could say a word. "I'm sure you mean well, Kakashi, but once my dad contacts the Tok'ra and has the proper equipment brought to them, they will be able to get to the bottom of this."

"And just how long before this equipment will show up?"

She frowned at him. "It depends on quite a few factors..."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Like whether or not the snake-heads think they'll gain anything from it."

It looked, for a moment, like Major Carter was going to argue the point, but then she just shook her head slightly and returned to Kakashi's question. "It will be at least half a day from whenever my father contacts the Tok'ra."

He smiled at her. "Then there is plenty of time for me to use my method."

"Excuse me, General Hammond, but should we be discussing this with..._him_?" Major Davis pointed at Kakashi with his thumb.

The older man chuckled lightly. "Considering this man is the reason that we still have Doctor Jackson with us, I'm inclined to at least hear his proposal out, Major."

The dark-haired man didn't look convinced, but at the moment that was the least of Kakashi's concerns. After all, he was planning to use his sharingan in order to delve into the prisoners' psyches, and he wasn't completely sure if the eye was even able to be activated in this dimension in the same way that he would use it back home. But, if he could test it out while obtaining another piece to the puzzle of just who had ordered the attack on Daniel, well, he wasn't going to complain.

He was brought out of his thoughts by the General's next question. "Is there anything special you need for your demonstration?"

Kakashi thought about it for a moment. "All that I require is for the men to be awake. Beyond that, it shouldn't take more than ten minutes."

Major Davis clenched his fists. "We've spent all day with those men and made no progress at all, and you're telling me that you can find the answers we need after spending just ten minutes with each man?"

"Ah, sorry to confuse you. I actually will be finished with _both_ within that ten minutes." He walked over to where the man was standing with his mouth hanging open. "Will you be leading the way?"

* * *

At first, Daniel had thought Kakashi's ten minute claim had been the man's twisted attempt at a joke. Now, however, he was definitely not laughing. They had all followed Major Davis down to where the men were being held, and there had been a moment of heated discussion between Kakashi and the Major over delaying the session until they could set up video equipment to capture whatever the heck it was that was about to happen from multiple angles.

When it was all said and done, it had taken longer to set up the equipment than it had taken for Kakashi to finish his interrogations...if that's what they could be called. Daniel was no stranger to the odd and the bizarre, having been involved with the Stargate program from the beginning, but even he had never seen anything like the strange spinning red and black eye that sat in Kakashi's left socket. And he'd certainly never witnessed anything turn a grown man into a quivering mound of emotion so quickly...not even a Goa'uld hand device.

When it was all over, Kakashi had let out a long breath and lowered his headband over his left eye. The man looked like he'd just finished a three-day marathon. He had a sheen of sweat on his brow, and by the dark circles under his eyes, it was clear he was exhausted. Still, it didn't keep the man from turning toward Daniel and uttering the words that had made it crystal clear that, whatever it was that the man had done, it had obviously worked.

"These men were approached on an away mission to planet P2X-769 several months back. Neither had any surface memories of the encounter. But buried deep within their minds I encountered what they were unable to remember themselves. They did not go down without a fight, but they didn't stand a chance against the severe conditioning that they were put through, and as a result, they were programmed to follow a specific set of orders...in this case, to attack Daniel if he should return from this last mission.

Daniel, you are being targeted by Heru-ur, the son of Ra and Hathor. And if what I witnessed in their minds is correct, that Goa'uld holds you personally responsible for his parents' deaths, in addition to his failure to claim the power that he felt should have been rightfully his once they were both dead. You should also be aware that the remainder of the SG unit that these men were a part of on that mission have also been imprinted to attack or capture you when you next encounter them."

When Kakashi had finished speaking, Daniel couldn't help feeling a bit overwhelmed. He was pretty sure that he had actually groaned, in fact. But learning that the son of Ra and Hathor was out to get him left a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. Hell, both of this Goa'uld's parents were nothing short of insane, and each had their own unique encounters with him over the years. And by the sound of it, their son was at least as nuts as they had been.

Daniel replayed Kakashi's words in his mind, and he knew one thing that was certain...things were definitely going to get more dangerous from this point on. He only hoped that he'd manage to find some way out of this one...without any more innocent people being used against their wills.


	9. Memories

Chapter 9

Memories

Heru-ur sat back in his throne, allowing his vassal to kneel before him and wonder if this would be the time that it would be decided that he was no longer needed. He could very nearly _smell_ the fear under the layer of stench that all the fodder of this world seemed caked in. But these primitive people were hard workers, and easily manipulated, so he would suffer through their stink a bit longer...as long as they continued to service the mines that provided to him the much prized naqahdah needed to power his fleet.

He'd been about to declare his pleasure with this quarter's supply, when the doors to his audience chamber were opened without his bidding. He pushed himself to standing, his eyes flashing with power and anger, and he watched as a small group crossed through the doorway. Two of the three men he had never seen before, but the third was one of his under-lords, Resheph.

Heru-ur frowned. He was not supposed to meet with this Goa'uld until next month. How _dare_ he stroll into his presence unbidden! "What is the meaning of this!"

Resheph paused in his movement at the sound of Heru-ur's voice, but the other two continued forward. Neither of the men spared Resheph a second glance as they walked by on either side of him. They held their heads high, as though it was their right, until they were both standing directly in front of him. Each had dark hair and pale skin, with one man standing half a head shorter than the other. They lowered their heads in a bow, but it was far too shallow for it to show any true respect toward him.

The shorter man wore a tunic which bared enough of his chest from his waist to his shoulders that it was clear with just a glance that he was not Jaffa. Strangely enough, he could only sense a symbiote within the taller of the two, although at the moment he wasn't quite sure which of his brethren it might be. He glanced beyond them to where Resheph was only now moving closer.

"I'm waiting for your answer, fool! Why would you dare to bring strangers into this place?"

Resheph's eyes glowed at the challenge, while Heru-ur's patience wore dangerously thin. Before he or Resheph could speak, the taller of the dark-haired men took one step forward, drawing Heru-ur's attention at once. His head was still slightly lowered, which caused his dark bangs to hide the man's eyes.

"Lord Heru-ur, it is my understanding that you are someone of relative power in these parts. We have come to offer our conditional services in apprehending the man called Daniel Jackson."

At the utterance of that name, all disappointment with Resheph's lack of decorum was forgotten. Still, he remained cautious with these two unknown factors. "And just why would we need your services in such a matter?"

A soft chuckle came from the man in front of him. "Because you have no way to counter Daniel Jackson's current protector."

Heru-ur glanced over at Resheph and saw the anger on the Goa'uld's face before returning his attention toward the man. "You presume too much."

Now the man tipped his head up until his features were no longer shielded from view. Heru-ur knew his eyes widened at the sight of the stranger's eyes. He'd never seen such a thing. One eye was blood red within its socket, while the other was made up of rings of black and white. A moment later, and those eyes glowed with the power of the symbiote he'd sensed earlier, and the man's voice took on the tone of all Goa'uld.

"We have no need to presume, Heru-ur. This protector's powers are like none that have been encountered by the Goa'uld before."

He narrowed his eyes as recognition of the just who this symbiote was sank into his awareness. He was Rāvana...one of the oldest amongst the Goa'uld. Heru-ur had known him for countless decades, and it was a bit disconcerting that he had chosen to blend with this host rather than take him over completely. There was obviously a larger piece to this puzzle that he was still missing. He swept his gaze over the other two standing slightly behind the taller man before choosing to respond.

"It is clear that we have much to discuss, Rāvana." He waved toward the door to his private chambers. "But we should do so in more comfortable surroundings."

Without waiting for a response, he moved toward the room. He was vaguely aware of his servants running ahead of him to ready the site before his arrival, but most of his attention was focused on just what Rāvana was about to share with him. Since the deaths of Ra and Hathor, the goal of obtaining Daniel Jackson and making him pay, had been his main focus. And if Rāvana could, indeed, provide a means to reach that goal, who was he to turn them away?

Once the four of them were settled around a low table, and his servants had provided them all with drinks to cool their throats, Heru-ur first turned toward his under-lord. "Where is your son, Resheph? For something of this magnitude I am surprised he is not at your side."

The man frowned at him. "My son is no more, Lord Heru-ur. His life was snuffed out by the Protector Rāvana has mentioned. And it is because of my thirst for vengeance against that creature that I have dared to bring these two into your house unannounced."

Heru-ur narrowed his eyes. "If this 'Protector' destroyed your son's host, why did you not simply move him to another?"

Resheph's eyes flared with anger. "That is the point! The 'Protector' _was _the host! There was nothing left to transplant!"

Rāvana took over the explanation. "This man we refer to has within him something that is deadly to any symbiote if we try to take him without planning for it."

Heru-ur leaned his head back and laughed. "You must be joking. Such a power does not exist."

Rāvana lowered his head, and when he spoke again it was clear he'd offered up control to the human he was blended with. "Do not assume that this man we speak of is anything like the hosts that you are familiar with. Those from where he and I hail could destroy you with a _thought_ if it so pleased us."

Heru-ur glared at the man. "How dare you threaten me in my own abode!"

"You misunderstand my words. Rāvana recognized our power when he mistakenly attempted to take over my mind. Fortunately for him, his knowledge and guidance within this reality are useful to me in my need to track down that man from my own world."

With a single nod toward his companion, the younger man stood from his seat and held his palm out before him. Where a moment before there had only been pale skin, now sat a tightly compressed ball of what looked to be raw electricity. A moment later, and it faded out of existence once more, leaving no mark on the skin it had been held in. He noted that the dark-haired man wore no hand device. The young man said nothing, taking his seat once more when the demonstration concluded.

Heru-ur contemplated all that was said before turning toward Resheph. "Tell me of this mysterious 'Protector' which was strong enough to destroy the likes of young Monthu? Does this destroyer of Goa'uld have a name?"

Resheph's anger was clear in how his eyes flashed, and the name spoken carried all the venom of a grieving father. "_Kakashi_."

The man carrying Rāvana leaned toward him with an equal anger within his mismatched eyes. "Kakashi Hatake...and when the time comes...he will be _mine_ to deal with!"

* * *

Jack watched as the Tree Frog sneezed so hard that he nearly knocked himself off his feet. He couldn't help but feel like the jerk deserved it. But that didn't keep Daniel from offering the man a box of Kleenex and a heartfelt 'bless you' to which he received a curt nod.

Concern colored Daniel's words. "I think that's the first time I've heard you sneeze since I met you. Are you okay?"

"If I was back in Konoha, I'd say that someone who knows me was talking about me." He scratched at the back of his head and shrugged. "But considering where I am, I'm probably just catching a cold."

Daniel frowned. "Maybe we should have Janet check you over, just to be safe."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Isn't that a bit excessive for a cold?"

Both Daniel and the Frog tipped their heads back until they could get a good view of where he and Teal'c were dangling from the ceiling. "I don't think so, Jack. After all, we've seen other visitors react badly to our germs before. We really shouldn't take any chances."

"Great. That's just great!" He saw the two men turn toward the door. "Wait a minute! Don't you think that maybe you could let us down first? I'm starting to lose feeling in some of my body parts."

Daniel perched his hands on his hips. "I suppose that depends, Jack."

"Oh, for Pete's sake! Depends on _what?_"

"Are you done trying to Zat Kakashi?"

"That's not fair Daniel. _He's_ the one who started it!"

"O'Neill is correct, Daniel Jackson. There was a challenge issued that could not be ignored."

Jack tried to wave his hand toward Teal'c, but it was still stuck like glue to the ceiling. So he settled for twitching his head in the Jaffa's general direction. "See! Teal'c wouldn't lie to you."

He watched Daniel turn toward the silver-haired pain in his ass and shake his head. "I've got no idea what these two are talking about. You have any clue?"

The Frog ran one hand through his ridiculous hair and glanced up at where he and Teal'c were being held against their will. "I'm afraid I do, Daniel. But what I said was meant as a warning..._not_ as a challenge."

Jack frowned down from his lofty perch. "How the hell can you expect us _not_ to take it as a challenge when you said we'd never be able to Zat you again?"

"I see. Then perhaps we are both at fault for the misunderstanding. Do you understand now that you _shouldn't_ attempt this any more?"

Jack grumbled while Teal'c played peacekeeper. "I will no longer attempt to use the Zat'nik'tel against you, Kakashi Hatake...unless you become a threat to the SGC...at which point I will likely use my staff weapon."

The Frog had the nerve to smirk at Teal'c's answer before lifting one hand in front of his chest. A moment later, and he and Teal'c were tumbling to the ground. Thank God they were both trained to adjust their bodies for impact, or he'd probably be nursing a bit more than a bruised ego right now.

The pale hand of his nemesis reached toward him in an offer of help, and although he was sorely tempted to tell him just where to stick it, the glare being shot at him from both Daniel and Teal'c was enough to make him change his mind. But that didn't mean that he'd make it easy for the man. He decided to be dead weight and watch in smug satisfaction as the underweight man struggled to lift his much larger frame off the floor.

Or at least that had been his plan. Instead, Kakashi had hauled him to his feet with a fluid grace and strength that made him wonder just what else the man was hiding from them. But he knew that calling the man out for being obscenely strong at the moment would likely put him into deeper hot water than he was already in.

Jack sighed. Sometimes it just didn't pay to roll out of bed in the morning. He was just about to make mention of the very fact when the Base Alarm sounded.

"_Unscheduled off-world activation. Security teams to the embarkation room!"_

All thoughts of the silver-haired menace left Jack's mind and he ran out the door toward the Gate Room to find out what new hell was knocking at their door.

* * *

Kakashi watched with amusement as everyone in the room left without so much as a single word to him. It reminded him of when the Hokage would send the messenger hawks out to alert the jonin of an emergency meeting...just much louder. Still, thoughts of home made him eager to learn as much as he could about this mysterious Gate that seemed to be the only way off this world, and so, he joined in the steady flow of people who were, even now, making their way down the hall. Thankfully, now that he was dressed in a set of clothing borrowed from Daniel, he didn't draw as much attention to himself as he wove through the stream of people.

Once he had arrived at what looked to be his goal, he wasn't disappointed. The Stargate was already more than halfway lit, and the sound of the stone rings circling caused more than enough noise to cover even the noisiest of approaches. He hung back against the wall just within the room and watched as the lights and noise continued. Over the rumble of stone on stone, another announcement came over the loud speakers.

"GDO code received and verified. It's the Tok'ra! Stand down to receive them."

Kakashi watched as the metal disc covering the entrance to the ring retracted into the Gate moments before the creation of the matter stream that he now understood was not water at all, but rather, was the unstable wormhole being harnessed within the technology of the Gate. He stood where he was, doing his best to blend in with the surroundings, content to simply watch for now.

SG-1 and General Hammond made their way through the door to his right and moved down to the bottom of the metal ramp that led up to the Gate itself. Kakashi had to keep himself from chuckling as he picked up Jack's grumbling as the man walked by.

"_Now_ what the heck do those damned snakes want? I thought Jacob wasn't expected to go back for another three days?"

A balding man joined the others from another entrance across the room. "I'm not, Jack. This comes as a surprise to me as much as to you."

"Oh goody, more Snake Surprise. Just what we need around here."

"Colonel..."

Before Jack could apologize to the General, all attention was drawn to the three people stepping out onto the ramp. There were two men and one woman, and they all were dressed in varied shades of brown and green. The look in their eyes, as much as the frowns on their faces, spoke volumes about the fact that whatever was going on was likely not going to be good news.

Still, Kakashi had to wonder at what past these Tok'ra shared with SG-1. Especially when two of them went from frowns to smiles after spotting the team waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp. But he was content to stay in the shadows and simply eavesdrop on the conversation. And he didn't have to wait for long as the taller of the two men stepped forward to grasp Major Carter's hands in his own.

"Samantha, I am pleased to see that you are well."

The slight blush on her cheeks reinforced Kakashi's thoughts that these two, at least, shared something in the past. "Martouf...it's good to see you again too."

Kakashi noted the shift in Jack's stance when this happened, and he wondered if Samantha understood that the man was nearly as smitten for her as the Tok'ra who had yet to release her hands. Meanwhile Daniel was being greeted by the other man, but unlike Martouf, this one seemed a bit hesitant.

"It is good to see you again, Doctor Jackson. I trust that you are recovering well from your latest adventure?"

A slight frown on Daniel's lips made it clear to Kakashi that he hadn't expected these Tok'ra to have knowledge of their captivity, but it did nothing to lessen his polite response. "You know me, Aldwin. I'm always recovering from one mission or another."

"I am sorry to interrupt the reunions, but we need to focus on what is important." Everyone's attention shifted to the blond woman standing just behind the others.

Aldwin quickly stepped back into place at the woman's side, and a moment later, Martouf did the same, making Kakashi wonder if this sprite of a woman was actually calling the shots. It was Aldwin who picked up the topic, however. "Forgive us, but Breanar has a point. The Tok'ra High Council has sent us to speak with you about a disturbing development within Heru-ur's camp."

Now _that_ was enough to catch and hold Kakashi's attention. After all, that was the very Goa'uld that was behind the varied attempts on Daniel. He had every intention of remaining against the wall and simply continuing to listen in, but the moment the woman starting speaking again, he knew any chance of staying on the sidelines was taken away from him.

"There are two new advisers in Heru-ur's midst that concern us greatly. One looks to be no more than a boy, but the other is rumored to have blended with Rāvana. Each bears eyes like none we have encountered before...the elder's do not even match each other. But what concerns us is that the older of the two has expressed interest in aiding with the capture of Doctor Jackson."

That seemed to stun Daniel a bit. "_Me_? Why?"

Martouf chuckled. "You mean besides the fact that you have a rather high price on your head and know things that no one should know?"

Breanar frowned at the interruption and pressed on. "The aid is offered solely with the condition of his acquiring your newest Protector for himself."

The sick feeling that had started to grow in Kakashi's gut at mention of strange eyes doubled at those words. He took a calming breath and casually walked across the room to join the others, catching the attention of the Tok'ra in an instant. He didn't waste time with introductions, knowing that if his suspicions were correct, they'd need every second possible to counter the coming attack.

"Tell me...have you learned the name of these men?"

Eyes narrowed toward him, but Jacob signaled for Breanar to respond to the question. "Our informant overheard one being referred to as Ma-da-r'a. The Tok'ra had no information on that name. Does it mean something to you?"

Kakashi let loose a long sigh. "It means my Mangekyo wasn't quite as successful as I had hoped."

General Hammond took the lead at that point. "Okay folks. It's time we move this conversation out of the Gate room. I have a feeling General Hatake here might just have some useful information to share with all of us."

Kakashi nodded once in agreement, afraid that if he had tried to speak at that moment that his voice might just betray the plethora of emotions running through him. After all, it wasn't every day that he learned that the two Uchiha he had been hoping he'd killed were actually quite alive and out for his blood...again.

* * *

Sasuke stared out of the window and into the unforgiving blackness of space. He found that it was the perfect mirror of his thoughts at the moment...cold, dark, and deadly. The fact that he was hurtling through space, far away from where he had been born, meant little to him. All that he was focused on was the promise of finding the whereabouts of Kakashi Hatake. Everything else paled in comparison.

"_Ah, here you are, Sasuke. I see you are enjoying the view."_

Madara's reflection next to his in the glass showed that the man seemed overly pleased with himself. Sasuke knew from experience that the man expected him to ask just what the cause of it was. But truthfully, he couldn't care less. He was tired of playing the mind games which Madara seemed to think were akin to breathing. All he wanted was to experience the feeling of his ex-sensei's life being snuffed out by his own version of the man's trademark Chidori.

That thought caused a smirk to cross his lips, and earned him a glare from his mentor. _"What wickedness has entered your mind to cause such an expression?"_

As much as Sasuke wanted to ignore the man, he knew better than to fail to answer a question that was directed at him. _"I was picturing my victory."_

Madara's lips pulled up into a smile. _"As well you should be, my boy. But before we can make your dream come true, we must suffer through another show of our power for our current benefactor."_

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and turned to look directly at the elder Uchiha. _"And once we have finished performing like trained monkeys?"_

"_Patience, Sasuke. Once these fools have witnessed the power we hold they will do our bidding while thinking that we are doing theirs. We will have our vengeance against Hatake...I promise you that."_

He closed his eyes. _"And then?"_

A low chuckle caused Sasuke to open his eyes once more. _"Then, my dear boy, we find our way back to Konoha and bring them _all_ to their knees!"_

Satisfied that Madara was indeed looking beyond the death of Kakashi Hatake, Sasuke turned his attention back to the flowing space outside the window and allowed his mind to clear once more. Whatever Madara may have wanted to tell him when he'd first entered the room must not have mattered any longer. The two were content to stand in silence for however long this journey was likely to take.

* * *

Daniel sat in the conference room and tried his best to keep his heart from racing too quickly. But that was a hard feat to accomplish when every voice in the room seemed determined to point out the many reasons why he was being targeted by yet another insane snake. He was seriously wishing he'd never unburied the Gate on Abydos. Then, instead of all the chaos and heartache he'd suffered along the way, he'd be safe in the arms of his beloved Sha're.

He frowned at that thought. His wife would have never forgiven him for thinking such a way. She had taught him so much in their limited time together, and to think about erasing those experiences was an insult to that scared memory. No, he would accept whatever came his way and hope that no more people had to suffer on his behalf. Besides, with his luck, even if he'd buried the Gate, the Goa'uld would have still found a way to ruin his life.

"Doctor Jackson? Are you going to answer the question?" General Hammond's concern was clear in the timber of his voice.

Daniel felt his neck warm in embarrassment, but covered it by pulling his glasses off and going through the motions of wiping the lens with the edge of his t-shirt. "I'm sorry, Sir. Could you ask that again?"

The General frowned a bit. "Actually, it was Colonel O'Neill's question. Are you sure you're okay, Son?"

So much for covering his embarrassment. "I'm fine, Sir. Just a bit distracted."

Jack rolled his eyes at him, and Daniel knew he'd probably hear about this later on. "How about you just tell us what you can about this Heru-ur freak?"

"Right! Okay. As we all already know, Heru-ur is the son of Ra and Hathor. But from our past encounter with him on Cimmeria we also know that he tends to run rather than risk defeat or capture."

Jack was nodding sagely at him. "That's right, I remember him. Cagey bastard. He turned tail and ran off while the Asgard wiped out his Jaffa."

Teal'c leaned forward with his fists resting on the table. "Heru-ur has always had such a pattern. Amongst the Jaffa, none wished to battle against Heru-ur's forces, as they would fight with the fierceness of those who knew that only a complete victory would ensure their continued existence. Anything less than victory meant that their God would likely abandon them."

Breanar looked quite upset. "I agree with the assessment of Heru-ur based on his past behavior. But the latest information shows that the Goa'uld is changing his patterns. He has used worlds that are under his rule to use as a proving ground for these men, and if even half of what has been reported is true, then keeping Doctor Jackson, and the secrets he knows, safe may be impossible if he stays here."

General Hammond frowned at the Tok'ra's words. "Impossible is a rather strong word Breanar. What are you suggesting?"

Martouf bowed his head and allowed his symbiote, Lantash, to explain. "Doctor Jackson will be safer if we take him with us. There are Tok'ra tunnel complexes on several worlds that will serve as a safe haven for him."

Daniel shook his head in disbelief. "I refuse to think that hiding me away on one world or another will solve any of this."

The Tok'ra looked like they were about to argue, but Kakashi's quiet voice from where the man was leaning against the wall silenced them all. "Hiding will not resolve this. It will only delay the confrontation. And in the process, it will put countless individuals in harm's way."

Aldwin stood and glared over at where Daniel knew Kakashi was watching them all with his hooded gaze. "The Tok'ra have been dealing with the likes of Heru-ur since before you were born. Trust me when I say that we know the proper way to respond to his threats."

Daniel heard the frustrated puff of air escape his friend's lips just before he walked over to take the empty seat to his left. "If all you had to deal with was Heru-ur, Rāvana, and Resheph I would agree with you. However, you need to acknowledge that the addition of Madara and Sasuke will change everything."

Breanar actually chuckled at Kakashi's words. "Forgive my bluntness, but nothing of the host remains once a Goa'uld takes hold. We _are_ dealing with nothing more than what we've always dealt with. The only difference is the fact that Heru-ur is cooperating with his under-lords. It makes him unpredictable only until our operatives have observed them working together for a bit longer. That is all."

"How can I make you understand just how wrong you are? How do you intend to counter the natural abilities of the shinobi now working with Heru-ur? Madara alone has the power at his command to destroy you all, and with Sasuke at his side..." Kakashi shook his head and fisted his hands on the table. "It was all I could do to stop them the last time we met, and I had an _army_ behind me."

Daniel placed his hand on Kakashi's arm in a show of support while addressing those gathered in the room. "I have witnessed some of those powers since I've met Kakashi, and considering he wasn't in full health at the time, I can only imagine what he might be able to do now."

General Hammond gave him a disapproving look. "Doctor Jackson, do you mean to say that General Hatake exhibited _more_ skills than what was in your initial report?"

Daniel sighed. "I honestly don't remember what made it into the debriefing report and what didn't, Sir. I had hoped to go back and fill in the holes when I had some free time."

A low growl from Kakashi caused Daniel to pull his hand back. "What is or isn't in a report doesn't matter at the moment. What you all need to understand is that if Madara Uchiha wants to find Daniel and me, it won't matter where you hide us...he _won't_ be safe."

Sam leaned forward a bit and tried her hand at relieving some of the growing tension. "Perhaps if there was some way of you demonstrating some of the skills you're taking about it might make things easier all around?"

Another growl came from his friend. "I will not perform on demand, Major Carter."

The intensity in the air increased as the silence grew. It wasn't until Selmak offered up another solution that anyone seemed willing to speak again. "We have with us a device that will allow you to project what you want us to see, General Hatake. Perhaps then my fellow Tok'ra will understand why you are hesitant to accept their plan."

Daniel watched Kakashi narrow his visible eye at Selmak. "There are things in my memories that _no one_ should witness. How can I be sure that you will not try to access things that are not your business to know?"

Aldwin's lips quirked into a smile. "We can give you our word that we will not access anything without your permission."

Jack snorted from down the table. "A fat lot of good _that'll_ do ya."

"_Colonel_!" General Hammond's warning was enough to keep Jack from continuing on.

Daniel could understand why Kakashi wouldn't want the Tok'ra, or anyone else for that matter, to delve into his head. Just the things his friend had done in front of him were enough to amaze anyone, and he was fairly certain that the man's past wasn't exactly a bed of roses. Just as that thought crossed his mind Daniel realized a way around the problem.

"Selmak, how about if you place the device on _me_ instead? I can show you what I've witnessed myself. Trust me when I tell you that it will probably be enough to help you see the point Kakashi is trying to make."

Selmak and Breanar conferred with the other Tok'ra for a moment before turning back to where he was anxiously waiting for their decision. "We are willing to take this evidence into account, although we cannot say yet whether it will be enough to sway us one way or another."

Daniel sighed. At least they were willing to let him try this. "Is there anything I need to do or know before we try this?"

Jacob smiled at him. "We should probably move to where we had tried before with General Hatake's doppleganger. We have a bit of equipment still set up there that will allow us all to experience it along with you."

Kakashi turned toward Daniel, catching his full attention. "You should know that they intend to place a small metal disc onto your temple that will press something through your skin. It was a bit uncomfortable...but not unbearably painful."

"How could you have known that?" At the level of shock he heard in Jacob's voice, Daniel had to hold back a chuckle. "I thought it was one of your clones that we had attempted the procedure on?"

For his part, Kakashi simply shrugged. "I absorb the experiences of the clone once it is deactivated or otherwise dispersed."

Daniel's eyes widened at that declaration. His mind already was imagining how much additional translation and cataloging he could accomplish if he had that ability. "That could _definitely _come in handy."

Kakashi laughed at him. "Sorry Daniel, but you really don't even have enough chakra to fuel a henge...ah, forgive me...a disguise, let alone a full shadow-clone."

Breanar stood and addressed all those in the room. "We should start now so that there will be adequate time to discuss our options before we need to leave."

General Hammond stared up at her before turning his attention back to Daniel. "Are you sure you want to do this, Son?"

He fiddled with his glasses a bit before answering. "I'm sure, General Hammond. After all, Sam had a similar device placed on her by Martouf during our mission to rescue Jacob. And she seems fine. Besides, I agree with Kakashi in the fact that words really _can't_ do justice to just what he is capable of."

"Alright then, people. Let's move this meeting downstairs."

* * *

Kakashi watched the reactions of the people gathered around the display screen which was showing, in exacting detail, every jutsu Kakashi had performed while in Daniel's presence. He couldn't help but think about how handy one of these devices would be back in Konoha with the T&I unit. Or, for that matter, how much easier it would be to get those small details from an undercover operative that might not make it to a mission report. He'd have to see if he could acquire one before he figured out how to get home.

Hushed words of disbelief reached his ears, and he wondered if everyone in this dimension was so unable to admit that there just might be powers out there they they'd never seen before. But, based on the rolling of Jack's eyes after another round of comments from the Tok'ra, it seemed like this reaction was par for the course for this race. Of course, all it did for Kakashi was reenforce the fact that these fools would never be able to provide adequate protection for Daniel against the combined forces of the Uchiha and the Goa'uld.

When the picture show was finally over, every eye in the room shifted toward him. Fortunately Kakashi was used to garnering such attention, but he did still find himself wishing for his Icha Icha, or at least his mask. Instead he sighed and crossed his arms before trying to answer the questions which he was certain were running through their minds.

"No, I don't have super powers. Yes, I breathed fire. No, I'm not part tree-monkey...or mole. Yes, I can create duplicates of myself. Yes, I understand that you've never seen such things before. No, you can't do it too...Daniel can explain about chakra to you at a later date. And yes, the Uchiha can do everything you just witnessed plus much, much more."

He walked over to where Daniel was just pulling the disc off his temple and he held his hand out to the man, palm up. "You were able to keep it from accessing anything but what you chose to show, correct?"

"Yeah, pretty much. But it felt a bit intense once the memory started. It truly felt as though I was reliving it all over again."

Kakashi nodded his understanding and turned his attention to where Martouf and Jacob were adjusting the dials of the display. "If I agree to doing this, you need to understand one thing. Where I come from, we are in the throes of war. What you saw in Daniel's mind is nothing compared to what you are about to see. I would appreciate it if you do not record the images."

Martouf looked like he might argue the point, but Jacob smiled at Kakashi and allowed his symbiote to take over. In that moment, he knew it was so the words would be from the Tok'ra within him and not the human host.

"We will respect your wishes, General Hatake, and hope that the memories will not be too difficult for you to relive."

With that settled, Kakashi helped Daniel out of the bed and settled himself onto the stiff mattress. He allowed Selmak to position the disc on his temple and braced himself for the unsettling pressure that he'd remembered from when his clone had experienced it.

"We are ready whenever you are, Kakashi." Jacob's gentle hand on his shoulder was enough to focus him on this task.

Kakashi closed his eyes and summoned up the memories of his final battles with Madara and Sasuke. The moment his thoughts began, he was pulled into the chaos of the war. Daniel had been right. He truly felt as though he were back on his world once more. He could see, feel, and smell everything that he had the first time he'd lived through this experience.

Around him were the rocky crags in which he knew his battalion was going to need to make their final stand against Madara Uchiha and his twisted version of an army. The battles up to this point had been bloody, but somehow he still led nearly three quarters of his original numbers. Kakashi scanned his surroundings and saw various small pockets of fighting. There were three of Zetsu's plant freaks for every one of Kakashi's force, but that didn't mean they wouldn't succeed. It just meant it would be more of a challenge.

Kakashi fingered the transmitter at his neck so that his voice could be heard by all those on his team. "Remember not to let them touch you. We can't afford any more chakra drains or doppelgangers!"

He didn't wait for any responses as they were all on radio silence until directed otherwise. Instead, he drew the katana he'd had since his very first days in ANBU and systematically worked his way through the dozen or so enemy which were closing in on him. An explosion to his right caught his attention, and he moved until he had a clear view of several of the former Iwa shinobi channeling their chakra into the ground and using the resulting skewers of stone to pierce through nearly twenty of Madara's forces.

Unfortunately, those spires of rock had no chance against the lightning that went spiraling through them and into the Iwa shinobi. Screams tore through the area while Kakashi tried to find the source of the attack. After all, there were very few shinobi out there who could harness the elemental forces in such a way. Most could never manage such a powerful and directed attack. He was one of them. And he knew that Madara was not able to harness lightning, which left him with one other option.

"Sasuke..." The soft voice echoed through his earpiece, and it took him only a second to recognize it as Sakura.

Kakashi turned toward where he'd last seen the pink-haired woman and cursed. She was standing in front of the young man who, at one time, had been the only reason she had become a kunoichi in the first place. At the moment though, it was clear that she was no longer lovestruck by the Uchiha. In fact, she looked like she was about to hit the fool with a chakra-enhanced fist.

But even as she was pulling back to hit the man, Kakashi could pick up the telltale sound and dark blue-white light of Sasuke's version of his Chidori. And at that close range, there was no way he'd miss Sakura. He reached up to trigger his transmitter, but knew he'd be too late even as his fingertip hit the button.

Screams filled the air before the glow of the Chidori finally snuffed out. But when the haze cleared, it was far worse than he'd expected. Sakura was still standing, but her pink hair was stained red in places. In front of her, Kakashi could no longer see the raven hair of Sasuke. Instead he saw the distinctive green pantsuit and glossy black bowl-cut of his self-proclaimed Eternal Rival. But it took a moment to realize that there was a deep red stain spreading across the man's back.

Unfortunately, before he had a chance to truly digest the fact his former student had just used the jutsu he had taught to him on one of Konoha's top jonin, Sasuke appeared directly in front of him with blood still coating his hand. The young man smirked at him as he pulled his sword free and leveled it in Kakashi's direction.

"What's wrong, Kakashi-sensei? Aren't you pleased with how much I've improved?"

He didn't justify the boy with a verbal response. Instead, he attacked, entering into one of the more challenging sword fights of his life. There was no denying that Sasuke had truly learned quite a bit from Orochimaru. It was evident in every aspect of his sword form. But what the young man hadn't planned on was the fact that Sasuke had not been the Snake-sanin's first pupil in the art of swordplay. Rather, it had been a small, silver-haired boy of five who had eagerly learned anything that his Father's friends were willing to teach him when they visited the Hatake compound.

The smug expression on Sasuke's face disappeared when Kakashi's blade bit into his shoulder, and a moment later the two backed away from each other. A look crept across Sasuke's face that was pure evil, and at that moment, he knew that there would never be a day when they would be able to bring the young man back into the fold of Konoha.

"We are wasting valuable time here!" Madara's voice sent a chill through Kakashi, especially when the man materialized right next to him. "Finish it, Sasuke! Or I will!"

Kakashi went by instinct at that point. He angled his blade in a reverse grip and spun in an attempt to slice through Madara's body. He knew that the moment he _would_ have hit Maadara, that the man would phase himself dimensionally, and in truth, Kakashi was counting on it. Because it was at the very moment that the blade sailed beyond the insubstantial form that Kakashi shifted his grip and sent a shock of electricity surging along the blade that was once more heading toward Madara's form.

Kakashi registered the surprise in the elder Uchiha's mismatched eyes at the move, and even though the man shifted to another location on the battlefield, it felt good to know that he'd caught the enemy off guard. Of course, that feeling disappeared the moment Sasuke lunged at him with his own lighting-wrapped blade.

What followed was a blur to him. There were jutsu being thrown throughout the battlefield. Flames met water, lightning met earth. More often than not they were being aimed at him by Madara and Sasuke. But he managed to get a fair share of his own as well. Until it reached the turning point where he found himself sending lightning-hounds to distract Madara while he focused on keeping Sasuke from destroying any more loyal members of Konoha or her allies.

Kakashi focused his chakra into his palm and moved faster than he'd ever moved before. He was so fast that his knuckles were scraping against Sasuke's ribs before the young man even recognized his heart was about to be pierced. In that single moment, Kakashi felt like he had aged a dozen years, but when all was said and done, he'd done what needed to be done.

Still, after his short respite, when he launched himself at Madara, Kakashi had actually expected to be defeated. But as fate would have it, Madara seemed strangely distracted after Sasuke's death. Kakashi had managed to land more than a few hits without Madara phasing out. But, of course, the Uchiha had hit him in turn as well. When they separated that final time, Kakashi knew it was time to play his final card. And so he triggered his Mangekyo technique...only to have it countered by Madara's own dimensional vortex.

The next thing Kakashi knew, he was sucked into what he now knew was a wormhole and tumbled out of the Stargate, and into the mess he was in now.

With a labored sigh, Kakashi allowed the memory to fade and turned to see just what reaction those around him had. As expected, every face seemed more than a bit stunned. Even Daniel's eyes seemed to hold shock in their depths. Kakashi shook his head and rubbed one hand along the back of his neck.

"I did warn you that it wasn't going to be pleasant. But it was the only way for you to see what you will be up against."

Colonel O'Neill looked rather disturbed, and the moment he spoke, Kakashi knew that this man had suffered a deep loss in his life. "You take your _children_ to war?"

Kakashi kept his gaze impassive as he answered. "No. We take _shinobi_ to war. The children were back in what was left of our village after Madara and his forces tried to destroy it. We have not sent _children_ to war since the Third Great Shinobi War. And even then, the majority we well over twelve years of age."

Daniel caught his eye. "The majority? What age was the youngest, Kakashi?"

"Hmm...I was a genin at five, and chunin at six. The war started when I was nine and continued until I was fourteen."

Breanar's voice was laced with disbelief. "Impossible! How would a child of five ever be able to handle such things?"

Kakashi had planned to laugh off her comment, unfortunately he had neglected to remove the memory disc, and his thoughts of his own dark childhood were pulled from his mind before he knew what was happening. And in that instant, he was back on his first field mission with his very first genin team.

He could still remember the fear that coursed through his veins as his sensei ordered him and his two older teammates to run back to Konoha while he tried to hold off the enemy. And before he knew it, he was reliving his first kill of many. When that memory brought him to the moment when his father had tried to comfort him in the Hospital, he knew he had to stop this. There was no way he wanted his memories of that man to be displayed in front of these people who would never understand his life.

With great effort, Kakashi ignored the waves of emotionally charged memories that refused to fade away, and he forced his physical body to respond to his will. He pried the memory disc off of his temple with a growl. He felt his blood dripping down his cheek, and vaguely heard the startled gasps of the others in the room as his awareness faded to black and he collapsed back against the pillows.


	10. Shinobi Diplomacy

Chapter 10

Shinobi Diplomacy

Two weeks. It had been _two weeks_ since Kakashi had passed out in front of them, after sharing more than he'd intended, and they still shot looks of pity or fear at him when they thought he wasn't looking. It was all too similar to how he'd been treated in Konoha after his Father's disgrace. But here, he was unable to distance himself from it the way that he had back in the Village. He couldn't just ignore them, or throw himself into missions, or spend countless hours at the training fields. He couldn't even hide behind his mask. Here, he needed to interact with these men and women until they could all figure out a way to keep Daniel safe. Only then would any of them agree to help him find a way home.

_Home_. It was a concept that Kakashi had never truly put much of his energy into. He'd never had a conventional home in all his life. Sure, he had a roof over his head, but his home-life had consisted of spars with his father in the family dojo since he was three, target practice in the Hatake Compound's private training field, and learning new jutsu anytime he could convince the White Fang to spend more than a moment with him in between the man's grueling missions. And after his father's death, he'd never had what he'd consider a home. It was more of a place he went to sleep and clean his weapons between his own missions.

To Kakashi, home was never more than a label placed on his Village of Konoha to show others around him that he had been born into his shinobi life at that particular geographical location. He was a tool of that village, and until now he had been at peace with that definition. But watching the members of the SGC interact over the past weeks made him realize something that he'd never been willing to admit before...even to himself. He actually _missed_ Konoha. Not just the place, but those people within it that had somehow managed to worm their way into his heart.

Kakashi, for the first time in his life, was _homesick_.

"A penny for your thoughts." Daniel's voice pulled him out of his revelation.

"I know that I'm new to your currency, but I'm thinking that my thoughts might have a bit more value than a penny."

A small frown spread across Daniel's lips. "It's just a common phrase here on Earth used to try and get someone to share their thoughts."

Kakashi smirked at the man. "You don't say?"

A light blush colored the man's cheeks and he rubbed at the side of his neck. "Sorry about that. Explaining the obvious sort of comes with my job. But still, I am curious to know just what you were thinking about."

He raised one eyebrow at that comment. "What makes you think I was thinking about something?"

It was Daniel's turn to smirk. "It might have had something to do with the fact that you've been reading the same page for the past twenty minutes. And considering I wrote that book, I know that there's nothing _that_ interesting between the covers."

Kakashi snapped the book shut with practiced ease. "I wouldn't say that, Daniel. Your theory on the Great Pyramids being built and inhabited by aliens turned out to be true, after all. And this book provided the perfect starting point for the theories you listed out in your journals regarding the origin of the Egyptian language."

"My journals?" The man looked a bit shocked. "You've already started to read my journals?"

"You did say that I could do so. Although I will admit that much of it sounded more like a fantasy novel than a scientific journal, especially when you detailed some of the more...unique...missions that you've gone on. If you ever were to publish these back where I come from, you'd give Jiraiya a run for his money."

"Jiraiya?"

"He was the author of a series of books that had quite the following in the Five Great Countries." Kakashi frowned as he handed Daniel the book. "Unfortunately he was killed before he could finish the series."

"Killed? Why would anyone kill an author?"

Kakashi couldn't help but smile at that. "Writing was Jiraiya's passion, but his duty was as a shinobi of Konoha. He was a Sannin; the highest rank aside from Hokage. He gave his life in order to supply the Village with the information that we'd needed to eliminate our biggest threat at that time."

"At least you can continue to remember him every time you read his books. And each new generation will know him too. That's something, isn't it?"

A smirk pulled at Kakashi's lips. "Of course, those new generations will need to wait until they are old enough to read them."

Daniel looked confused. "Are you saying that you don't teach your children to read at a young age?"

The smirk stretched into something closer to a leer. "I'm saying that no one under a certain age can buy the type of book Master Jiraiya was famous for."

He watched the confused look on Daniel's face turn into one of understanding a fraction of a moment before it shifted to one of absolute horror. "Kakashi, are you actually comparing my writing to that of a _porn writer_?"

A full-bellied laugh escaped Kakashi's throat before he could stop it. He held his hands up in a placating manner when he saw a flash of anger behind the man's wire-rimmed glasses. "I simply meant that you both have a knack for keeping the reader interested from the first page to the last page."

The angry look slowly morphed into a glare. "I don't suppose you have a copy so that I can see for myself?"

That wiped the smile off Kakashi's face. "Unfortunately Resheph's Jaffa took it from me when we were captured. It was a personally signed copy, too."

"It sounds like Jiraiya meant more to you than just being an author."

Kakashi let loose a sigh. "He was my Sensei's sensei, and best friend to my father. I learned a lot from the old man."

Daniel seemed to sense that he was entering into a forbidden topic, and Kakashi was grateful when he changed the subject. "The others want us to meet up in the briefing room as soon as possible. They have new information on the whereabouts of Madara and Sasuke."

Those words were enough to pull everything back into focus. Kakashi nodded his understanding and started toward where he knew the others were gathering. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his borrowed pants even as he heard Daniel fall into step beside him. They remained silent during their walk, each deep in their own thoughts about just what might be revealed.

* * *

Daniel pulled open the door to the briefing room, and the wave of shouting that met them made him cringe. He and Kakashi moved into the room just in time to see Jack being physically pulled back by Teal'c and Sam.

Across the table, Jacob and Martouf were helping Aldwin up from off the floor. The bright red shade of the Tok'ra's swollen cheek made it crystal clear that Jack had let his fists do the talking. What was surprising to Daniel was the fact that General Hammond and Major Davis weren't busy trying to apologize for the action. In fact, the two men seemed nearly as angry as Jack was.

Daniel had a bad feeling about this. So when Kakashi suddenly sneezed, and every head in the room turned toward them, it was clear that he and his silver-haired friend were likely the topic that had led to whatever the hell _this_ was.

Jack, as usual, summed everything up in a way that only he could. "Daniel, tell these damned snakes that it'll be a cold day in Hell before we'd let them take you away! For Pete's sake, we only just got you back! There's no way you're going anywhere with these...these..._Tok'ra!_"

Jack had spit their race's name out like a curse, and just like that, all Hell broke loose again. Daniel and Kakashi pulled the door closed and simply watched as the two sides of the table seemed desperate to out-shout each other. At one point, even General Hammond lost his normal cool attitude and threatened to pull any and all SG teams from missions meant to help the Tok'ra/Earth alliance.

It was at that point that Daniel noticed that Kakashi was no longer standing next to him. Just as he started to wonder where the man had gone, the entire room became eerily silent. He shifted his eyes back toward the table and was shocked to see every person sitting in their chairs, bound and gagged, while Kakashi sat cross-legged in the middle of the table with his elbow on his knee and his chin resting on his palm.

"How do you people manage to get anything at all accomplished around here?"

Daniel ran a hand across his brow. "Kakashi, untie them."

"And just _why_ would I do that?"

"How about because these are pretty much the only people who might manage to figure out a way to get you home? Is that a good enough reason?"

The sound of Jack cursing up a blue streak from behind his gag made Daniel rethink what he'd just said. "Okay, so maybe not _all_ of them have helping you in mind. But if you really want to learn just what the Tok'ra found out, you'll need to remove the gag from at least some of them."

Kakashi closed his visible eye and moved his fingertips up to rub at his temple. This was something that Daniel had noticed the man do more and more often since he pulled the Tok'ra disc off mid-memory. But when the man opened his eye once more, the hint of pain within that dark depth was pushed aside by a look of determination.

"Pick two, Daniel."

The hard look in the shinobi's eye made it clear that the numbers weren't up for discussion. After a moment of careful deliberation, Daniel walked over to the Tok'ra side of the table. He decided the best bet would be Aldwin. The man wasn't quite as abrasive as Breanar, and was more focused than Martouf. And, unlike Jacob, he wouldn't be thought to be siding with the humans. Besides, considering Aldwin had been on the receiving end of Jack's fist, it was highly likely that he was the one who said whatever it was that set the Colonel off in the first place.

He removed the gag, but at a stern look from Kakashi, he left the man tied up. Aldwin made no move to speak, and his eyes remained fixed on the shinobi that was still seated in the middle of the conference table. Daniel sighed and glanced at the other side of that table. He could see that Jack was eager to be selected, but considering his idea of diplomacy is what resulted in this mess in the first place, he most definitely wasn't being picked. Which meant he needed to choose between the General, Major Davis, Teal'c, and Sam.

"Wheel Major Carter's chair over to Aldwin's, please."

Daniel looked back at the silver-haired man and frowned. The choice was obviously not his to make after all. "What are you thinking, Kakashi?"

"What, no offer of a penny this time?"

"_Kakashi..."_

"Fine." The man sighed and jumped off the table to land just behind Aldwin. "I'd rather do this in one jutsu, so please bring Major Carter over here."

Daniel saw a look of concern on Sam's face and he tried to smile reassuringly to her. But by the squeak she'd let out from behind her gag when he started to push the chair, it was clear that he had failed. Still, he couldn't help but wonder about what Kakashi had in mind, and he found himself almost excited.

The moment he had rolled Sam's chair over to where he'd been instructed, Kakashi's fingers wove through a series of hand signs. "Place one hand one my shoulder, and the other on Major Carter's."

Even as Daniel did as he was told, Kakashi placed one of his own hands on Aldwin's shoulder and used his free hand to create a sign that he'd seen a few times by now. He readied himself for the wave of nausea that he knew would accompany the teleportation jutsu that his friend was about to perform. He would have apologized to General Hammond if he'd had the time, but the moment that Kakashi finished with his last hand-sign, the smoke rose, and that lurching tug made him glad he'd skipped lunch today.

When the smoke cleared, they were standing in the middle of a field, and it took him more than a minute to truly realize that Kakashi had actually teleported them _outside_ of the SGC all together. Daniel shook his head at the thought of just how he was going to explain this one to the General without landing them both in maximum security cells. He turned toward where Kakashi was standing with his eyes closed and his face tipped up at the sun.

"You do understand that this won't be taken very well, right?"

Kakashi sighed and turned to face him. "True, but I was getting a bit sick of living underground."

Daniel chuckled and shook his head. He really couldn't blame the man. Even after all the years he'd been a part of the SGC, he still found himself missing the outdoors. But, if Kakashi was longing for the sun, he could have always asked to be brought outside. Surely the elevator ride would have been less taxing on the shinobi than this multi-person teleport had been.

He moved over to where Sam and Aldwin were still bound to their chairs. Although Sam seemed to be taking it all in stride, the Tok'ra seemed somewhat disturbed by the entire situation. Daniel had to admit that a small part of him was almost glad to see the almost human reaction in the host, and thought that perhaps this might work out after all. Of course that hope quickly left the moment the Tok'ra spoke.

"Doctor Jackson, does this man understand that what he has done goes against the treaty of alliance between our races? Did he really mean to start a war?"

"Aldwin, I'm sure Kakashi never intended for that to be the result of this impromptu meeting."

The silver-haired man looked up from where he was currently released Sam's bindings. "I don't know, Daniel. Do you think it might get those people to agree on a course of action?"

He released a frustrated breath. "You're not helping."

Kakashi shrugged. "Then how about this? Aldwin, my actions are my own, and as I am not a member of this alliance that you speak of, my actions can not be taken as an act of war from the SGC."

Sam walked over to help untie Aldwin. "He does have a point. Besides, we were getting absolutely nowhere in that meeting."

Aldwin looked like he was about to argue that fact, but instead he shook his head slightly. "You do have a point, Major Carter. But what can we do about it out here?"

Daniel motioned over to where Kakashi was already sitting on the grass and watching their every move. "I suggest we have a seat, and then you two can tell us just how bad a plan it is that wound up in Aldwin being introduced to Jack's idea of diplomacy."

After a moment of silence, the two 'captives' made their way to where he'd pointed, and after another hesitant moment, they began to explain just what the Tok'ra and the SGC were discussing. With luck, Kakashi's reaction wouldn't be as violent as Jack's had been, because Daniel had seen the power behind the shinobi's punches, and Aldwin would never survive it.

* * *

Iruka watched Naruto pace back and forth outside the temporary shelter where the Hokage was currently meeting with two squads of ANBU. He'd tried his best to remain a calming influence over the younger man, but after twenty straight minutes of this, Iruka had finally reached his limit. So, when Naruto passed by him for what felt like the thousandth time, he grabbed a firm hold of the black and orange jacket and pulled him down to sit on the bench beside him.

It only took a moment for the boy to shake off his surprise and glare over at him. "What'dya do that for, Iruka-sensei?"

"The Village is going to have a hard enough time recovering from the War without you adding to the damage."

At the blatant look of confusion on Naruto's face, Iruka placed a stern look on his face and pointed down at the hard-packed dirt that was the innocent victim of the boy's nervous energy. Sure enough, there was a good section of the area that was now quite a bit lower than the ground surrounding it.

Naruto wisely looked ashamed, but then he scratched at his ear with a goofy grin splayed across his face. "Do you think that Granny-Tsunade might want a koi pond?"

Iruka found himself chuckling at the boy's comment. It was during moments like this that it became crystal clear that Naruto had trained under Kakashi and Jiraiya. Only those two shinobi would ever try to find a purpose for the deep rut formed by pacing, rather than apologize or admit that they were actually worried about something. But before Iruka could comment on it, the Hokage's voice cut through the air.

"Get in here, Uzumaki! You too, Iruka."

The tone of her voice put a frown on both of their faces. She sounded angry...which didn't bode well for them at all. The only bright side that Iruka could come up with was the fact that if she decided to throw one or the other of them out of the office, that at least they were in a single story unit. He could still remember a few times that Lady Tsunade had gotten her point across by tossing errant shinobi out the window of her office at the top of the old Hokage Tower.

The moment they entered the temporary office, the somber mood hit them like a wall. Iruka swallowed the lump that was in his throat before moving to bow respectfully in front of the Hokage. By the time he'd stood back up, Naruto was already standing at the edge of her desk. His arms were crossed in a way that was far removed from the respect that was due to a Hokage, and Iruka couldn't hold back the cringe when the young man spoke.

"What the hell took you so long, Granny-Tsunade?"

Surprisingly, the Hokage merely sighed and propped her chin up on her fist. "What do you _think_ took me so long, Kid? I needed to weed through their reports to make certain they didn't miss anything."

There was a moment of silence after her statement. Then Naruto unfolded his arms and leaned on the edge of her desk. "Well, _did_ they?"

Iruka stepped forward and slapped the back of Naruto's head in a fluid motion born of thousands of such moves over the years. "Naruto! Stop being so rude! I'm sure the Hokage will tell us if she feels we need to know."

The Genin reached up and rubbed his unruly blond hair. "Ouch! What was _that_ for?"

Iruka sighed in exasperation and turned his attention toward the Hokage. "Forgive his lack of manners, Lady Tsunade. Sometimes I think he was raised by wolves."

A soft chuckle came from the Hokage. "You forget, Iruka-sensei. After you did your best to instill proper etiquette into that thick skull of his, he was taught by two of my most irreverent shinobi. I think we should all just be happy he hasn't picked up some of their _other_ habits."

Iruka smiled at the thought of Naruto entering through windows or going to the bath house for 'research.' Still, that didn't really excuse his behavior. But if the Hokage was okay with it, then who was he to say otherwise.

Meanwhile, Naruto was glaring between the two of them. "You do realize I'm still in the room, right?"

Tsunade sat back in her chair, and there was a look of sadness in her golden eyes. "After an extensive search of the battlefield and the surrounding area going out to well beyond the edges of Fire Country's borders, the ANBU have reported no signs of Kakashi Hatake, either living or dead."

Iruka gasped at the bluntness of her words, and saw by the way Naruto's hands clenched into fists that the news wasn't being taken too well. But Tsunade wasn't finished quite yet.

"In addition, I have received detailed reports from the other Kage stating similar results in each of their lands."

That caught Iruka's attention. "Excuse me, Hokage. But did you just say that the other Kage ordered similar searches for Kakashi in their own countries?"

He watched a sad smile pulled at her lips. "When I informed the countries bordering Fire about what we were doing, and why, word got back to every country that was a part of the Allied Forces. Each and every one of them demanded to perform their own searches to overlap ours."

Iruka turned toward where Naruto was standing, and saw his head was lowered and his body was very nearly shaking. A single word, barely above a whisper, came from the genin's lips.

"_No..._"

The Hokage pushed air through her teeth. "Dammit, Naruto, you _know_ what this means. Don't make me spell it out."

Again, that single word came. But this time Iruka could hear the tears choking the boy. "_No..._"

Seeing the Hokage was beginning to lose hold of her limited patience, Iruka tried to intervene. "Naruto, be reasonable..."

That managed to get a reaction. "_Reasonable_?" Naruto raised his head and shot a look of betrayal at him. "I thought you _believed_ me, Iruka-sensei?"

"I do, Naruto...always. But if your theory was true, don't you think that at least _one_ of the teams would have found some sign of Kakashi-sensei by now?"

"Listen to Iruka, Kid. He's right. It's time to accept that Kakashi's gone."

He watched in silence as Naruto took a deep breath and closed his eyes. At first, Iruka worried that the tell-tale signs of the Kyuubi would start to appear. But it was the eyes of the Sage that stared back at him when those eyelids opened. And when Naruto spoke, his words held a confidence that he'd never heard from him before.

"I'm sorry, Granny-Tsunade, but I can't accept it. You forget that, thanks to Pein, I've actually _felt_ what it's like when Kakashi-sensei is dead."

Iruka heard Tsunade's pained gasp and he turned toward her. The woman's eyes were brimming with tears. "How _dare_ you! You weren't the only one to know what that felt like. But that does _nothing_ to prove that the Brat's alive!"

An uncomfortable silence filled the room as the Hokage and the genin faced off. But something about what Naruto said stuck with Iruka. And after a few tense minutes, everything finally clicked in place.

"Naruto, are you saying that you can feel Kakashi-sensei somewhere out there?"

"Not exactly. But I am saying that I don't feel like I did when he was dead last time. While I'm in Sage-mode I can feel everyone around me...you, Granny-Tsunade, heck, even old-man Teuchi. But when I search for Kakashi-sensei's essence, well...it's kinda hard to explain."

Iruka felt the first true spark of hope since the end of the War. "Try, Naruto. Can you tell where Kakashi-sensei is?"

A frustrated sigh led into the answer to his question. "I know he's alive. But when I try to figure out where he is it gets, I don't know, weird. It's almost like he's right here...but somehow _not_ here. I can't make sense of it."

"Here, but not here." At the sound of the Hokage's voice, they both turned back toward her. "That sounds like something Kakashi-sensei would say."

"You're right, Hokage. But what do we do with Naruto's information? How do we track something like that?"

Tsunade started chewing on the side of her nail, which was a well known sign among the Mission Desk crew that their Hokage was coming up with a plan. And after a few more moments, she didn't disappoint him.

"Shizune!" Once the dark-haired aide stuck her head in the doorway the Hokage continued. "Send someone to fetch Inoichi and Shikaku. NOW!"

By the time Iruka turned his attention back toward Naruto, the young man's eyes had returned to the crystal blue they normally were, and there was a wide grin stretched across his face. And just like that, the spark of hope ignited into a full flame.

* * *

It took over an hour for one of the SGC personnel to find them in the briefing room and set them free. And in that time, Jack had thought of at least seventeen different ways to choke the life out of that annoying silver-haired menace. Unfortunately, a full-base search for where the bastard and his hostages went turned up nothing.

General Hammond had one of the geeks in the control room verify that Daniel's key-card wasn't used in any of the elevators, and so the search had been concentrated on the confines of the base. But after such an extensive search, it was clear that they had no choice but to expand the search to the outside.

Even then, it had taken another hour before they'd finally found any sign of the elusive pain in the ass. And now they were headed toward where reports claimed the four missing people were sitting in the middle of a field five miles away from the base. And evidentally there was some kind of fight going on.

As they all climbed into the trucks that would bring them there, Jack vowed that he'd kill Daniel the next time he brought home a stray. A low growl escaped his throat at the thought of how much trouble his friend managed to cause without ever trying.

When Teal'c sat on the seat next to him Jack couldn't help but smirk at the sight of the Jaffa's staff weapon. "Does that mean Hammond's authorizing extreme force?"

"O'Neill, you know that this is not the case."

He sighed and looked out the window of the truck. "You can't blame a guy for wishing. Still, if that ass has done anything to harm Carter or Danny I may just forget to keep the safety of my P-90 on."

"I see. Does that mean that you would remain calm if the injury was done to the Tok'ra instead, O'Neill?"

He turned back to face the man. "Was that actually a joke, T?"

The frown on the Jaffa's face made the answer clear even before the words were spoken. "An injured ally is no laughing matter."

Jack rolled his eyes and gazed back out of the window. He was just starting to wonder when the heck they'd get there, when a flash of bright light in the distance caught his attention. A moment later and the trucks pulled over to the side of the road.

With practiced precision, the SGC teams were on their way. They quickly fell into an infiltration formation and crept through the tall grass surrounding where the flash had occurred. Jack felt the heady calm settle over him that he always felt when out in the thick of things, and he quickly took the lead of the teams surrounding him. With a few precise hand signals those teams split off until they had formed a sweeping arc of BDUs amidst the field, using him as the center point.

The farther they went, the thinner the tall grass grew, and the clearer the sounds of a fight could be heard. He signaled the men to hold back at the edge of the field that was opening up in front of them and observe until they knew what they were dealing with. Teal'c settled on the ground next to him, and the two peered out toward where they could finally see two men going at it.

The shock of silver hair was easy enough to spot in the bright sunlight, and it soon became clear that Kakashi was fully engaged in some type of intense hand to hand battle. But at this distance it was impossible to see just who he was fighting. Actually, the way the two were moving reminded Jack of one of those old Bruce Lee movies. Or maybe more like one of those Crouching Dragon flicks where the actors sailed around the screen defying gravity in their epic battles...thanks to the guide-wires they were hanging from.

He watched the Tree-Frog live up to his nickname as he leaped high into the air over his opponent's head, and for the first time since they had reached the edge of the grass, he had a chance for a clear view of just who the other fighter was. Jack pulled his binoculars out and focused in on the scene. What he saw was enough to make him roll his eyes. A quick scan to the right showed him where Carter, Daniel, and the Tok'ra were sitting on the grass chatting as though they were at a picnic.

"Oh, for Pete's sake!" He pushed himself up to standing and slung his weapon to the side before addressing the rest of the teams. "Stand down, folks. Looks like the only thing any of them are in danger of is a sunburn."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow at him. " Are they not fighting an enemy, O'Neill?"

"Not this time, T. It's just another one of those clones of his." Jack turned back toward the troops. "We'll wrap it up here. Get back to the base and let the General know we're on our way."

The lieutenant standing in front of him nodded once and started rounding up the others to head out. Meanwhile, Jack turned back toward Teal'c and sighed.

"Let's go break up the tea party."

They started walking toward the trio sitting on the grass and were soon close enough to see the look of surprise on their faces. Jack was fully intending to give Daniel more than a piece of his mind this time, when all hell broke loose. The ground around them shook with the force of an explosion, nearly knocking him and Teal'c to the ground. Jack looked up when he heard Carter's shout of fear, and as the hairs on the back of his neck rose, he spun on his heel to face where Kakashi had been continuing to fight himself.

Heading straight toward them was a fire-ball the size of a small moon. It came rolling across the ground low enough that, even if they flattened themselves and ate the dirt, they'd still get hit. And considering he and Teal'c couldn't propel themselves into the air like a certain Tree-frog he knew, it was a pretty good bet that they were about to be in a world of hurt.

Recognizing there'd be no getting out of the way this time, Jack crouched against the ground and curled into a fetal position, hoping to lessen the damage that was about to happen. He was only partially comforted by the fact that Teal'c was in a similar position at his side. The heat wave proceeding the ball of fire rolled over them, wicking away every drop of moisture in the air, but to Jack's surprise, he never felt the fire on his skin. Instead, the hiss of steam surrounded them.

He dared to open one eye, and was greeted by the sight of billowing clouds of white. His mind was still trying to figure out just what the heck happened, when he felt himself being lifted off the ground and back out where the air was clear. Before he'd managed to do more than take a deep breath of the clean air, Carter was at his side.

"Colonel! Are you alright?"

Jack smiled a bit at how concerned she sounded. "I'm fine, Carter. And at least now I know what a lobster feels like."

She returned his smile and then turned her attention to where Daniel was checking Teal'c over. Jack, meanwhile, was still trying to piece together just what the hell had happened to them. He turned back toward where he'd seen the flaming ball of death careening toward them and he frowned. Standing directly in his path was the Tree-frog.

The man was rubbing at the back of his neck. "Sorry about that, Colonel. I'm afraid I didn't expect anyone to be crossing the field while I was practicing."

"Practicing? For _what?_ Long-range barbequing?" He motioned toward Teal'c with a wave of a hand. "You nearly _killed_ us!"

Daniel chuckled from behind him. "To be fair, Jack, Kakashi was able to counter the jutsu before it reached you."

He spun around to face the archaeologist with a glare. "You have got to be kidding me! _Fair_? You people shouldn't even be out here!" Jack redirected his anger toward the silver-haired freak. "Do you have any idea how much paperwork your little stunt has caused? And what the hell were you thinking when you kidnapped Carter and the Tok'ra?"

Kakashi lowered his arm and shoved his hands into his pockets. "His name is Aldwin."

Jack couldn't believe the gall of this guy. "I _know_ what his name is. That isn't the point! What were you thinking?"

The man sighed. "I was thinking that perhaps everyone in that meeting needed a chance to regroup."

"So you left us tied up like packages while you and those three had a little alone time? Well isn't that just special."

Teal'c chose that moment to join the conversation, which was probably a good thing, as Jack was seriously thinking about following through with his original plan off taking the safety off of his P-90.

"How is it that you were able to destroy the ball of fire?"

"The same way anyone would destroy fire." The man turned one hand palm-side up. A moment later, and a spiral of water grew out of thin air and danced across his fingers. "I threw water on it."

Daniel, Carter and the Tok'ra were all gathered around the freak-fountain, oohing and aahing over the little tricks he was doing with the water. Soon, even Teal'c was caught up in the magic show. Jack scowled at how quickly he was abandoned.

"Okay, kids. Fun time's over. Let's head back to the SGC before General Hammond declares us all AWOL."

Without waiting for a response, he starting walking toward where he knew that at least one of the trucks was still waiting for them. He reached up to where his radio was clipped to his jacket and flipped the thing on.

"Base...this is O'Neill. We're heading back."

"Roger that. You're to bring Aldwin, Dr. Jackson, and General Hatake to the Debarkation Room ASAP."

Before he could reply one way or another, General Hammond's voice came over the radio. "That's an order, Colonel O'Neill. Am I clear?"

Jack sighed and depressed the radio button. "Understood."

It sounded like the Tok'ra were getting their way after all. It was times like this that he truly wished he'd stayed retired.

* * *

Kakashi followed silently behind the rest of the group. He still couldn't believe how he'd nearly fried the Colonel and Teal'c. But that accident reenforced what he'd already figured out...that he was in need of more regular intense training than what he'd been able to do in the confines of the SGC. Aside from a few hand to hand spars with his clones, the underground base limited what he was truly able to try.

Still, he should have been more aware while out in the field. It wasn't like the Colonel had been hiding his presence, after all. A freshly graduated genin would have been able to sense the man long before he'd stepped out into the open. And Kakashi was as far removed from being a genin as one could get these days. Hell, he'd nearly been appointed Hokage! He should have sensed their approach from the moment they left the mountain complex!

Sure, he could blame it on the fact that these people held barely a sliver of the chakra of a shinobi. But he'd never had a problem sensing civilians back home. This was just laziness on his part, and he wouldn't allow it to happen again.

Placing himself into the state of casual awareness that he'd use between missions back in Konoha, Kakashi allowed his senses to register every living thing around him. This ability had saved his life more than once over the long years since Obito's eye had needed to be covered, and at the moment, it made it all the more clear how lax he'd been since waking up in this dimension.

Everywhere they walked on their journey through the maze of corridors within the SGC, Kakashi could feel hundreds of men and women going about their daily duties all around them. He frowned to himself. Had it always been this active within the base?

He shook that thought out of his head and paid closer attention to where they were headed. Rather than going back to the briefing room which he'd disappeared from, they seemed to be heading straight for the Gate Room. Which meant one of two things; either the Tok'ra were upset enough to leave outright, or they had somehow managed to convince General Hammond that the wise thing to do to avoid breaking their farce of a treaty would be to relinquish him and Daniel to their 'care.'

Kakashi glanced over to where the archaeologist was walking next to him and sighed. By the tense set of the man's shoulders, it was likely that he'd come to the same conclusions. The question was, what could they do about it?

It wasn't in Daniel's nature to go against the General's orders, even though he was quite fond of pointing out that he was _not_ a member of the military service. And Kakashi still hadn't been able to find the information he needed to leave through the Stargate on his own. It wasn't that he couldn't work the dialing program, because he could. The problem lay in the fact that he hadn't managed to find out which Gate addresses would lead him to hospitable worlds, and which ones led to some of the nastier things in the universe.

After reading Daniel's journals it was quite clear that he shouldn't just pick an address at random. After all, the last thing he needed was to step out of the Gate and into a burning inferno of a volcanic planet, or worse. So, if push came to shove, he and Daniel would end up going with the Tok'ra. And then, when they'd reached their next destination, the two of them would work together to figure it all out.

Two more turns down corridors brought them to the doorway leading into the Embarkation Room, and Kakashi felt his nerves come alive. As they stepped into the room, every eye turned toward them. Those of the Tok'ra seemed to glare the hardest, and Kakashi schooled his features into his usual half-asleep facade. Meanwhile, Daniel seemed to shift nervously with each step they took across the room.

Before anyone could say anything to defend Kakashi's actions, Breanar took one step forward and leveled an icy stare at their group. "I trust your insolent actions are finished, General Hatake?"

A lop-sided grin twitched to life on his lips before he could stop it, which in turn made the Tok'ra glare all the more. "Mah...I'm sure I don't know what you're referring to."

Kakashi heard the chuckle from Jack's throat, and he knew that, no matter how much the man hated him, the Colonel held even more hatred for the Tok'ra. Predictably, Daniel tried to play the mediator before things got too far out of hand.

"I'm sure that what Kakashi meant to say was that he was unaware that he was doing anything wrong."

Breanar's eyes narrowed a bit more before she nodded once. "We accept the apology, but we've wasted more than enough time here. You and that man are to leave with us now."

Kakashi tensed at those words, even though he'd expected the woman to play such a card. "And if we refuse?"

Martouf stepped forward with a frown on his face. "Please do not refuse. To do so would make this world our enemy and negate the Alliance altogether."

Kakashi hated being stuck in the middle of these people's politics, and wanted nothing more than to tell the Tok'ra where they could shove their demands. But instead he bit back his preferred retort and chose his words carefully.

"Although Aldwin and I have already discussed the futility of your plan, it is quite clear to me now that I kidnapped the wrong Tok'ra. If Daniel chooses to go with you, I will have no choice but to follow him."

Daniel cleared his throat a bit before speaking. "General Hammond?"

The older man sighed. "I'm afraid that the Tok'ra's plan has been agreed to by Washington, son. For now, you'll need to accompany the Tok'ra."

As Kakashi had predicted, Daniel graciously accepted the man's order and lowered his head in defeat. Breanar proceeded to puff up a bit with her success, and she turned to face the stone ring that dominated the room. Without another word, the dialing sequence was started, and various symbols started to glow as they were selected.

After the fourth symbol was accepted, the room shook as the ring spun quicker than it had before. Different symbols overwrote those that had already been dialed. Everyone in the room seemed to tense when the voice came over the speakers stating the obvious.

"Unauthorized off-world activation!"

Everyone scrambled out of the way as the final symbol activated and the wormhole leaped into life, filling the stone ring with its shimmering energy. Kakashi watched General Hammond make a sharp motion with his hand that could be seen by the techs in the control room. The voice came over the speakers once more.

"Closing iris!"

A moment later, and the spiral of metal that sealed off the event horizon settled into place, removing the light cast from the wormhole, and making the room seem darker than it was. For several seconds after that, no one spoke. So when a deep voice came from beyond the wormhole, several people in the room took a step back. Kakashi, however, growled low in his throat when he recognized the voice all too well.

"Surrender what is mine...or face my wrath!"

General Hammond walked over to the wall and pushed one of the many switches. When he spoke, it was clear that he was transmitting back through the wormhole.

"This is General George Hammond of Stargate Command. You have no authority to make demands..."

Before the man could say any more, there was a slight disturbance within the lower portion of the iris. Kakashi recognized what was happening even before he opened his sharingan eye to confirm it. Cursing out loud, he moved over to where he'd be positioned between Daniel and the gate just as Madara Uchiha stepped through the metal. The man no longer wore the robes of the Akatsuki, or his red whirlpool mask. He stood before them in the gaudy robes that Kakashi had already learned to associate with the Goa'uld.

"You are mistaken. It is _you_ who has no authority in this matter, General Hammond." Madara turned to face Kakashi and took a single step toward him. "This is a shinobi matter. Isn't that right, Hatake?"


	11. Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 11

Smoke and Mirrors

Kakashi reached for where his kunai in a motion born of thousands of such actions. Of course, here he had no such weaponry, and he cursed himself for failing to remember that. The move did not go unnoticed by Madara.

"What's wrong, Kakashi? Are you feeling a bit out of your element among these bottom-feeders?"

"Leave them out of this, Madara."

The Uchiha grinned in a way that made it clear to Kakashi that the madman had no intention of following his advice. Madara took another step forward, causing him to tense even more. Colonel O'Neill moved beside him and waved a hand toward where Madara was standing.

"Don't waste your energy with that one. We've seen this kinda crap a thousand times before. It's nothing more than smoke and mirrors. Nothing gets through the iris."

Kakashi spared a sidewards glance at the Colonel before returning his gaze to his enemy. "I can assure you that this is no trick. That is most definitely Madara Uchiha's physical body."

Jack sighed and swung his weapon up into firing position. "Then these bullets should hit him, right?"

Without waiting for Kakashi's response, the man pulled the trigger and sent a volley of bullets at Madara. There was an amused glint in the Uchiha's eyes as those projectiles sailed harmlessly through his body.

"See? What did I tell you? That guy's about as real as Santa Claus."

"I really wish that were true, Colonel." Kakashi started to pool his chakra into the palm of his hand. The sound of a thousand birds echoed off of the concrete walls. "Get everybody out of here...before it's too late!"

Madara's voice rose above the noise. "It's already too late, Copy-ninja...you just don't realize it yet."

When the words left the man's lips, Kakashi saw the air between them begin to twist in that way that could only be caused by Madara's dojutsu. Unsure of what to expect, Kakashi held his Chidori at the ready, and hissed once more to the idiot standing next to him.

"Stop thinking that this man follows your rules, O'Neill! If you don't value your own neck, at least get Daniel and the others out of here!"

Kakashi didn't wait for an answer, instead he uncovered his sharingan and darted around the area of warped space, hoping that Madara would not be able to hold up the dojutsu _and_ keep up his own defenses. His sharingan started to throb, but he pushed the discomfort out of his mind. He thrust his Chidori straight at the bastard, and just when he thought he might actually manage to clip him, the dojutsu collapsed and Kakashi sailed right through where the man's body had been.

Shutting down his own jutsu before he could punch a hole in the iris, Kakashi spun just in time to block the very solid foot that was trying to take off his head. He attempted to push the man backward, but before he could manage it, Madara's hand hovered over Kakashi's head and he was brought to his knees by the pain of a Goa'uld hand device. But, unlike his previous encounters with the device, this time his chakra pathways felt as though they were on fire. As his world narrowed into a field of nerve-searing agony, he found himself unable to block out the bastard's voice.

"Disappointing as ever, Hatake. I had hoped you'd prove to be more of a challenge. But it is to be expected, I suppose, when surrounded with such an inferior race."

Kakashi's anguish was thankfully short-lived when Jack tackled the Uchiha to the floor, breaking him free of the device's hold. The Colonel's battle cry was nearly enough to bring a smile to his lips.

"Who are you calling inferior?"

He found the irony of the situation rather fitting, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it. He needed to try and regroup, before Madara took things too far. Unfortunately, his chakra network felt raw after this latest bout with the hand device, and his genius brain supplied the fact that the combination of snake, plus pissed off Uchiha, plus hand device, meant that the bastard had likely discovered a way to inflict maximum pain at the same time that he fried Kakashi's chakra pathways. All he could hope was that there wasn't any permanent damage.

He tried to push himself up to standing, but his muscles were in nearly the same shape as his pathways, and he found himself collapsing in a pile on the floor. By this point, Daniel had moved to his side and was ready to help him with his next attempt. He turned toward the man and frowned.

"I told you to run, dammit."

There was a look of determination on the archeologist's face. "Sorry, but we don't leave our friends behind."

In that moment, Kakashi's mind was filled with the memory of Obito Uchiha's similar speech during his first jonin mission, and he couldn't quite keep the smirk off his lips. It seemed to him that Daniel was turning into the embodiment of several of the Konoha shinobi he had worked with over the years.

"Fine. Help get me back on my feet. I may just have a way to finish this."

Daniel slid one arm around Kakashi's waist and started to pull him up. They had just about gotten him back up to standing, when there was a small explosion, followed by a singed Jack being thrown in their direction. In his current state, there was nothing Kakashi could do to avoid the Colonel's body, and now the three of them were a tangle of limbs at the base of the Stargate's ramp.

"Open fire!" General Hammond's voice set the room into a blur of motion as bullets and staff weapon blasts sailed over their heads.

But Kakashi's attention remained on the Uchiha. He watched Madara stroll over to where they were, while the bullets and energy beams sailed harmlessly through him. Meanwhile, Jack and Daniel were trying, unsuccessfully, to untangle themselves.

"What the hell is that freak?" Jack's hissed words held a touch of fear, and Kakashi was glad to see that the man had finally recognized that Madara was like nothing that he had experienced up to this point.

Knowing that the Uchiha was close enough to hear his reply, and wanting to make sure the madman's focus remained solely on him, Kakashi chose his words carefully.

"That, Colonel, is what happens when clans resort to inbreeding to keep their kekkei genkai pure."

He knew that Jack and Daniel would have no clue about what he was implying, but the look of absolute hatred in Madara's eyes made it clear that his words had definitely succeeded in pushing the man that much closer to focusing just on him.

Or, at least, that was what Kakashi had calculated would happen. But he failed to remember one small fact. A fact that became quite evident when Madara's eyes shifted from sharingan red, and the black and white of the rinnegan, to a devious glow. The Goa'uld presence seemed to snap the Uchiha out of his fury, and from one moment to the next, Madara's dojutsu sprang to life.

"Shit!"

Kakashi frantically tried to pull himself free of the two men tangled with him. He'd never personally been sucked into Madara's dojutsu, but he'd spoken with the girl, Karin, from Sasuke's Akatsuki group, and she had been able to describe her experience to him. It sounded as though she was sent to another dimension which had not been all that horrible to bear, but Kakashi was certain that the Uchiha would likely be sending _him_ to someplace a bit less hospitable. Likely, it would be more like Itachi's Tsukuyomi had been than anything else, and he'd be damned if he'd pull the Colonel or Daniel into something that twisted.

Just as he managed to extricate his left arm from the tangle of limbs, he felt the jutsu take hold of him. And in that instant, he knew that he'd failed in keeping the two members of the SGC out of harm's way. Reality twisted around him, and he was hit with a wave of extreme vertigo right before he felt himself being pulled into a vortex that seemed to be sucked into Madara's sharingan.

He could only hope that his unintentional traveling companions would survive whatever it was that they were all about to experience.

* * *

Sam blinked her eyes, hoping she was just suffering from overworking, and that she _hadn't_ seen what she thought she'd seen. But a quick look around the room showed her, that if it had been a hallucination, it had happened to everyone standing in the Gate room.

Her mind reeled as it tried to find a scientific explanation for just how the man standing before them had managed to form some kind of dimensional portal by staring at Kakashi, and how three grown men could be sucked into that portal with no outward sign of any mechanics at all. Then there was the question of just how the heck this guy had managed to walk through the iris in the first place. And, of course, there was the fact that none of their weapons seemed to have any effect on the guy.

She was shaken from her thoughts when the Gate started dialing itself. Sam turned her head toward the observation window and was greeted with the Gate tech, Walter, holding his hands up in a way that made it clear that it wasn't happening from his end. And by the look of frustration on the man's face, it looked like there was no way to stop the process either.

"Samantha." Martouf's soft voice at her side gave her something real to latch onto, and she gave him her full attention. "He appears to be using a remote dialer."

Sure enough, when she turned toward the dark-haired man, he indeed was holding the device in his hand. Which gave Sam a glimmer of hope and the beginnings of a plan. She moved next to Teal'c and spoke soft enough that only he would hear her words.

"Aim for his hand. If it's holding that device, at least that part of him should be solid."

A single nod of the Jaffa's head was immediately followed by him raising the staff weapon and releasing a controlled burst straight at the point where the hand and the device met. What followed was a series of events which Sam doubted that she'd ever fully understand.

The blast hit its mark, causing the device to explode with all the sparks and fire that made it clear that it would never function properly again. The Stargate ground to a halt, stuck halfway through the dialing routine, and Walter's voice echoed through the speakers.

"Emergency Gate shutdown commencing!"

General Hammond, meanwhile, activated the base intercom and said the words that always managed to send a chill up Sam's spine.

"We have a Foothold situation. Code Red. Seal off the base!"

Both doors leading out of the Gate room slid shut with an ominous grating of metal on metal. The Tok'ra put as much distance as they could between themselves and the man still standing on the Gate's ramp. Every available soldier carrying a P-90 was moving into position in a semicircle around the enemy. Which left her and Teal'c standing just behind them with their own weapons pointing at the dark-haired man.

General Hammond moved to Sam's side and glared at their uninvited guest. She'd never seen him so angry in all the time that she'd been assigned to Cheyenne Mountain, and when he spoke, he did nothing to hide his hatred for the man before them.

"There's no where to go. You're surrounded. Give yourself up, and we will tend to your injury."

Sam watched Madara drop the destroyed remote dialing device to the floor and then take a moment to peel the remains of the Goa'uld hand device from his badly injured hand. He placed his other hand, which was covered in a bright green glow, over the wound, and after a few moments, the injury was completely healed. Only then did the man turn to fully face the General.

Sam gripped her pistol tighter. "Holy Hannah! I thought that was something only Kakashi could do."

There was a strange half-smile on Madara's face as he turned his gaze toward her. "You'll find that I can do everything that the Brat can, and much more."

His gaze returned to settle on General Hammond. "As you can see, I have no need for your medical assistance. And the idea of surrendering myself to you is laughable, at best."

The General's hand clenched at his sides. "Then you leave us with no other choice. We _will_ shoot you down where you stand."

At this point, every person bearing a weapon positioned their fingers on the triggers, waiting calmly for the General's command to fire. But instead of standing down, like any sane person would have, Madara narrowed his eyes and started moving his fingers very quickly through a series of hand signs. Sam's eyes went wide when she recognized some of them as the ones Kakashi had employed out in the meadow, and when he lifted two fingers of one hand up to his lips, she knew there'd be no way that they'd win against the man.

A quick glance to her side showed her Teal'c recognized it as well, and she had just enough time to yell out a warning as she tackled General Hammond down to the ground.

"Duck and cover!"

The words had barely made it out of her mouth before Madara sent a ball of fire from his mouth into the area. Sam could feel the heat scorching her skin as it narrowly missed her and the General. From the startled gasps and pained cries, not all of those present had been as lucky as they were.

Thick smoke filled the air, making it nearly impossible for her to see far enough to know if her dad had survived the fire ball. She untangled herself from the General and moved cautiously toward the Stargate with her weapon at the ready. Once she'd stepped past the cloying smoke, she almost wished she'd stayed hidden. Madara stood there, watching the chaos with a touch of amusement in his mismatched eyes, and Sam briefly wondered if that reflected this man's true nature, or if it was the influence of the Goa'uld that lived within him.

She lifted her pistol once more to aim at the man, and she had to keep from flinching when those strange eyes locked with hers. She gathered the last of her courage and spoke.

"Bring them back."

An almost feral smile graced the man's lips. "And why would I ever choose to do that?"

"Because if you don't," Sam narrowed her eyes at him and tried to be at least a bit intimidating. "I'll make sure that you _never_ get off this planet."

Madara's eyes flashed with the telltale glow of the Goa'uld, and the timber of the man's voice made it clear that she was now speaking to Rāvana. "Why would we want to leave when we've only just arrived? Perhaps it's time for the Goa'uld to reclaim what was once ours...including the Tau'ri"

Sam's mouth nearly dropped open at that comment, and she was certain that she'd paled at least a shade or two. Thankfully Teal'c stepped in to give the answer that seemed stuck in her own throat.

"You will not succeed here. Instead, you will be driven from this place."

She watched the dark-haired man turn his attention toward the Jaffa, and she couldn't help but shiver at the level of hatred in the Goa'uld's voice.

"No one wishes to hear the opinion of a _shol'va._ Perhaps, if you beg our forgiveness, we may choose to end your pitiful life quickly. Until then..._be silent!_"

Sam could see Teal'c's muscles ripple along his jawline, and she knew he was finding it hard not to rise to the Goa'uld's bait. Before she could do more than frown, laughter drew her attention back toward the Gate.

"I will need to try that myself the next time some ignorant fool is stupid enough to speak out of turn."

It was clear that the Goa'uld was no longer in charge, but when she saw the insane glint in Madara's eyes, for the briefest moment, she'd almost wished the Goa'uld had remained. She swallowed down her fears and stepped forward once more, this time without pointing her weapon at the man.

"I know that I have no right to ask this of you...but, please...return them to us."

Sam tried her best not to flinch when Madara's calculating gaze swept over her before he chose to answer. "I see that you are starting to learn your place. However, I'm not quite ready to hand over my prize. Perhaps after I'm finished with them I will send them back." He gave her a cheeky grin. "If there's anything left of them, that is."

With that said, Madara held his hand up in front of him and they all watched as his body was pulled into a dimensional vortex, much as Jack and the others had disappeared into. But, as the pained groans of the injured soldiers around her started to fill the room, Sam held on to one simple fact...Madara had never denied that he could bring them back. Perhaps there was hope yet.

* * *

Sasuke was lounging on one of the many padded benches that Madara had scattered around this dimensional stronghold, trying his best to keep from being frustrated. He'd wanted to join Madara on his visit to where Kakashi had been hiding. To see just how that man would react to seeing him face to face. After all, he knew his former sensei had issued a killing blow in that last battle, and he truly was looking forward to repaying him that kindness.

He'd spent every free moment he had between the endless stream of Goa'uld missions to run through every manner of kata he could recall. And when he still had nervous energy at the end of the hours of training, he created his own patterns to make certain that he'd covered every potential possibility that his eventual meeting with Kakashi might result in.

He closed his eyes as memories of the silver-haired man who had tried, in his own way, to teach him came rushing to his mind. The way the man had pushed him to always try harder by pitting him against that blond-haired idiot, Naruto. How Kakashi had then broken up the fight between him and the knuckle-head and acted as though he'd not been the one to encourage their rivalry to start with. And how Sasuke had felt betrayal course through him when the man had pushed his Chidori straight through his chest.

The sound something large dropping onto the floor in front of him pulled Sasuke out of his memories, and when he opened his eyes, he couldn't help but smirk at the sight before him. Sprawled across the tiled floor were three grown men, but his eyes were firmly fixed on the one at the bottom of the pile. The silver hair gave him away more than anything else.

Sasuke was surprisingly calm at his first sight of the man that had killed him. It provided him with a sense of clarity regarding the gift laying before him. Rather than choosing to kill his former sensei quickly, he decided to make this into a bit of a lesson for the silver-haired man. After all, how often does one get to teach their former sensei?

He walked over to them, and he stood there for nearly seventy seconds before any of them even noticed his presence. This was partly because Kakashi was unconscious, and the others didn't hold more than a speck of chakra beyond what a civilian would have. But it was mostly because the two men were too busy arguing with each other as they were trying to untangle themselves from the non-responsive jonin. They spoke in the language that Madara had called English as he taught it to him, and he had to concentrate on their words to truly get their meaning.

The one wearing glasses was pushing the older one backward. "Jack, just try to be a little more careful pulling your leg out from under him. He's already hurt enough."

"Sure, Daniel. Because God knows my leg being stuck under that jerk certainly doesn't hurt at all!"

"Oh, right. Sorry about that. Maybe if I lift him while you pull your leg out it'll work without any more damage to either of you?"

Sasuke watched the two attempt their plan, and shook his head as they failed miserably. "I told you to wait until I said go, Jack!"

The one named Daniel was likely the one he and Madara were to bring back to Heru-ur, but at the moment, Sasuke couldn't see anything remarkable about the man that would warrant the hatred the Goa'uld held for him. But he would leave that nonsense to the others. He was more concerned with Kakashi, and the fact that he would finally be able to exact some sort of revenge against the man. With that goal in mind, he reached out and grabbed a handful of the man's silver hair, pulling a pained groan from him.

"Allow me to help." Reaching his other hand under Kakashi back, Sasuke added a bit of chakra to his actions and yanked the man out from the pile of bodies and tossed him toward where he'd been sitting earlier, not truly caring if he injured him further or not.

"What the _hell_?" The one named Jack finally managed to scramble to his feet, and was now pointing something at Sasuke that he could only assume was some type of weapon. The man's eyes went wide. "You! You're _that_ kid!"

He arched his eyebrows at the comment. "Am I, now?"

Sasuke moved with the speed he'd learned as a genin, and improved upon through his time with Orochimaru and Madara, until he was at the side of the older man in the blink of an eye. Sliding a single senbon laced with a powerful sedative into the man's neck removed the fool from the equation altogether, and allowed him to turn his attention to the remaining man who was watching his every move.

His target's eyes were wide behind his glasses, and there was a glimmer of fear within them that made it clear that he knew precisely what Sasuke was capable of. Which, in turn, made him curious as to just how much Kakashi must have shared about him. He slowly walked around the unconscious man until he was standing just in front of Daniel. It was obvious that this man was not a seasoned soldier, like the one he'd just dealt with. But he also didn't act quite as helpless as a civilian would, and his eyes held an intelligence in them that hopefully meant that he wasn't dealing with an idiot.

"Fail to do as I say, and it won't go very well for your friend."

Daniel's mouth turned down in a frown. "You didn't need to do that to him. I would have cooperated."

Sasuke smirked and motioned toward his recent victim. "_He_ would not have."

"Is he...alive?"

"For now. It was a sedative."

A look of relief flashed across the man's eyes, and he once again wondered what there was about this man, who obviously feared death, that made him the enemy of such a race as the Goa'uld. Still, that was not a concern that he needed to care about.

"You will not move. Yes?"

Daniel sighed and looked from where the man named Jack was, and where Kakashi's body had been unceremoniously thrown. "May I at least check on them to make sure that they are okay?"

Sasuke set his mouth in a firm line. "You may check that one, but Kakashi is _not _your concern."

It looked like Daniel would argue that fact, so he said the one phrase that he was certain would ensure the man's cooperation. "If you'd rather, I can use the senbon on you too."

Once more the man's eyes widened. "No. That won't be necessary."

Sasuke turned toward where his former sensei was laying, and he went about securing the man before he could pull himself back to consciousness, confident that he'd receive no trouble from the others.

* * *

Kakashi was brought back to full awareness in a way which, unfortunately, he was far too accustomed to. A sharp pain radiated through his shoulder, as what could only be a kunai blade was pushed through his muscle, stopping only once it hit the bone. He held back the scream that tried to find its way out of his throat, choosing to growl instead.

"Stop it! What are you doing to him!"

Daniel's voice came from somewhere off to the side, reminding him at once that it wasn't just him in this less than perfect situation. But, at least the man was still alive. That was something to hold onto. The kunai twisted as the wielder must have turned to face the archeologist.

"I told you before. This one is _not_ your concern."

Kakashi cursed his luck. Wherever Madara had sent them, it looked like he'd be facing Sasuke sooner than he'd expected. He forced his eyes open and looked toward where he could see his unfortunate companions. Daniel seemed okay, but the Colonel was clearly not faring as well. Clamping down on the pain that was still radiating from his injury, he pushed his words out from between clenched teeth.

"Daniel...I'm fine."

He could see Sasuke's back tense at the sound of his voice, and Kakashi hoped that it meant that perhaps the boy he'd taught was still in there somewhere. But that hope was washed away when he spun back toward him with unadulterated hatred in his eyes.

"I did not say _you_ could speak."

Kakashi crinkled his eye in one of his patented eye-smiles, and tugged against his bindings with the wrist of the arm that hadn't been stabbed. "Mah...I tried to raise my hand for permission, but you must not have seen it."

Sasuke crossed the distance between them in a heartbeat, and he pulled back on Kakashi's hair until they were eye to eye. "How _dare_ you make light of this."

Kakashi narrowed his eye and frowned. "What did you expect me to do, Sasuke? Beg you for forgiveness for killing you? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that won't be happening."

The hand in his hair tightened its grip, pulling a hiss from Kakashi's lips as his head was pulled farther back. Sasuke's breath was hot against his ear as the younger man leaned in close to speak to him in their native tongue. _"I don't care what you think, Sensei. All that I care about is that you should suffer as much as I have."_

Kakashi answered in kind, hoping that Daniel had enough sense to pretend that he couldn't understand what they were saying. _"Do you truly want to compare our levels of suffering, Sasuke? I'm afraid that you might find that you won't win on that field either."_

A hiss slid through Sasuke's lips, reminding Kakashi of Orochimaru in that instant. _"Are you saying that your life can compare to mine? I lost my entire clan before I was six!"_

"_Sasuke, you had your Mother with you until that point. I never knew mine. You grew up with family all around you. You had your big brother there to teach you, and even keep you safe when the Elders wanted you gone as well. _

"_Most of my clan was gone long before I was born. The last of my clan took his own life when I was five. And to be fair, you were _not_ the last of your clan. Even after you killed your brother, you still have Madara."_

He watched Sasuke's face morph with each word out of his mouth, and so he hadn't been too surprised when the young man's dark eyes switched over to the sharingan. But when those eyes next moved into a form of the Mangekyo that he could remember all too clearly from his encounters with Itachi, he realized he may have made a mistake with his choice of words. He made sure to avoid locking gazes at that point.

"_How dare you mention my clan in such an offhanded way! You didn't know them!"_

Kakashi couldn't help chuckling a bit at that.

"_I may not have spent a lot of time within the Uchiha compound, Sasuke, but I likely knew more of your clan than you did. One of your cousins, Obito, was on my team. Many of your aunts, uncles, and cousins worked with me over the years on missions. Your brother and I were paired in dozens of ANBU assignments. In fact, I actually taught Itachi..."_

"_You taught him _nothing!_ But I will teach _you_ a thing or two!"_

Sasuke moved with the speed of a striking snake and forced both of Kakashi's eyes wide open before pulling him into what he recognized immediately as Itachi's Tsukuyomi. The violent swirling of a blood red sky came to a shuddering stop and he found himself fastened to the crossbeam once more.

He couldn't quite keep his heart from racing when he saw Sasuke in the place where Itachi had once stood. But he did at least manage to keep his voice free of emotion when he spoke.

"_So then the rumors were true. You took Itachi's eyes for your own."_

Sasuke tipped his head back to meet his eyes. _"And why wouldn't I? After all that he had put me through, it was the least that he could have done."_

Kakashi frowned. _"Do you truly think that Itachi would be pleased with how you have chosen to use them?"_

The young man's face twisted into an insane grin. _"Considering that this is how he chose to deal with you the last time, how could he not be pleased." _He watched as an all too familiar katana materialized into Sasuke's hand. _"So tell me, Sensei, does the blade hurt any less than it did in my brother's hands?"_

With those words, Kakashi felt the cold steel slide into his abdomen, much as it had years before. And even though he knew, just as he did back then, that it was all in his mind, he still couldn't keep the scream from ripping past his throat as the blade was torn free once more. He tried to regain his calm, but unlike his brother, Sasuke didn't pause between his attacks, and soon, Kakashi's world narrowed into an endless series of screams and pain.


	12. Of Torture and Unexpected Twists

Chapter 12

Of Torture and Unexpected Twists

Daniel settled Jack more comfortably onto the ground after making sure that he truly was just unconscious, like the boy had said. Now, he sat watching that same boy lean in closer to Kakashi and switch from speaking in clipped English to the unique version of Japanese that he associated with Konoha.

When Kakashi instantly slipped back into that dialect as well, Daniel had the feeling that he shouldn't let on that he actually understood their conversation. After all, these enemies of his friend seemed to make as many assumptions about their superiority over the human race as the Goa'uld did. So there was no way that he was going to let on that he was nearly fluent in the language variation by now, thanks to countless hours conversing with Kakashi.

When the two shinobi went strangely silent, he had a strange feeling that something more than a staring contest was going on. But as quickly as the standoff had started, it was over. The boy, Sasuke, released his hold on Kakashi and took an unsteady step to the side. He held one shaking hand to his eyes, and after a moment, he regained his decorum. Meanwhile, Daniel turned his attention back to where his silver-haired friend was now breathing hard and looking a bit worse for wear with his head flopped forward toward his chest.

"Kakashi..."

Daniel had whispered the man's name, hoping to gain his attention, but at the utterance, Sasuke spun on

his heel to face him. If he'd thought that the boy's eyes held hatred before, he wasn't sure _what_ to call the look held within those orbs now. In fact, those eyes were like nothing he'd ever seen before. Although the irises were a deep red like Kakashi's left eye, that was where any similarity ended.

Rather than the three comma-shaped marks within his friend's eye, the boy's eyes held strange pinwheel-like designs within them. But before he could do more than catch a quick glance of them, Sasuke's hands covered them once more while a low groan left the boy's lips.

"_What's wrong, Sasuke? Are you finding it harder to live up to your brother's legacy than you expected?"_

Daniel frowned at how exhausted Kakashi sounded as he taunted the boy. But, if Sasuke noticed it, his reaction certainly didn't show it. In a flash he was again next to Kakashi, pulling his head back by the silver hair once more before responding to the man.

"_On the contrary, _Sensei_. I don't want to leave you that unresponsive quite yet. As I've said before, you need to be _aware_ of the suffering for it to be effective."_

A half-smile crossed Kakashi's lips before he responded to the boy. _"I'm sure that must be why you broke off the Tsukuyomi so soon. After all, you are the pride of the Uchiha."_

Daniel heard the growl come from Sasuke's throat just before the boy spun on his heels and glared in his direction. _"You! Come here!"_

Before he could do more than flinch at the sudden command, Kakashi chuckled. _"His name is Daniel. __And he might respond a bit more if you had bothered speaking English to him."_

It became quite clear that Sasuke hadn't appreciated his captive's comments when, from one moment to the next, the boy disappeared from where he'd been, only to reappear at Daniel's side. A firm grip on his elbow was followed by the a command hissed into his ear.

"You will come now."

Even if Daniel had wanted to resist the ominous order, he wasn't really given a chance. The boy's strength was impossible to ignore as he was herded toward where Kakashi was tied up and still breathing rather hard. There was an unreadable look in his friend's eyes, and Daniel had the sinking suspicion that he was most definitely not going to enjoy what came next. Which was confirmed when Sasuke spoke.

"_I already know, Sensei, that _you_ can withstand much torture without truly suffering. But tell me this...will you be so stoic if your torture results in this man's suffering?"_

Daniel swallowed back his urge to react...after all, he wasn't supposed to be able to understand what was being said. Instead, he locked eyes with Kakashi, and he was certain that the man could read the fear he'd felt at Sasuke's words. But the only response was a very subtle shake of his silver-haired head; a clear signal to Daniel that he should remain silent and not react.

"_Do you think that Daniel is so fragile that he will cower at the mere thought of my torture?"_

Sasuke snorted in derision. _"He is not shinobi. He will break."_

Daniel wanted nothing more than to tell this ignorant boy just how wrong he was, but it was clear to him that Kakashi truly wanted him to continue letting the boy think that he could not understand their conversation. So he played his role to the best of his ability.

"I don't understand you. What do you want from me?"

Sasuke's grip on Daniel's elbow went from a bruising pressure, to nearly bone-crushing, and for a moment he wished that he hadn't spoken at all. He was soon forced to kneel in front of where Kakashi was still bound to a section of the wall.

"You...will watch him bleed."

Daniel's heart raced, and he wanted nothing more than to knock the boy away from both himself and his friend, but even as that thought flitted through his mind, he felt his arms being pulled behind his back and bound tightly at his wrists with what felt like wire. He tried desperately to twist at his waist in an attempt to leverage himself to his feet, but the movement was stopped before it really started. Somehow, in the seconds it had taken Sasuke to bind his wrists, the boy had also wired them to his legs. A moment later, and he felt the boy's cold fingers brush against his cheek, and when he tried to turn toward him, another wire threatened to slice into his neck.

In essence, Daniel was unable to move so much as a muscle without the possibility of slicing one part of his body or another. And his current position meant that he would have a clear view of Kakashi throughout whatever the heck Sasuke had in store for the man.

The boy leaned in to whisper into Daniel's ear. "If you attempt to close your eyes, or avoid being witness in any way, you will _both_ regret it. Do you understand?"

Daniel met Kakashi's gaze, and the look of acceptance within his eye was all that he needed to know that Sasuke would definitely carry through with his threat. He swallowed down the fear that was just beginning to rise.

"I understand."

What followed was something that Daniel doubted he'd ever be able to fully forget, even if he tried. The dark-haired boy spent what felt like hours going out of his way to inflict as much pain as he could to Kakashi. Throughout the majority of it all, his friend remained surprisingly calm and silent, and Daniel did his best to keep silent as well. But when it became clear that Sasuke wasn't getting the results he wanted, that torture took a turn for the worse.

What looked to be a modified katana was pulled free of the scabbard strapped to the boy's back, and dark blue coils of some sort of energy covered the blade a moment before it was pushed through Kakashi's right shoulder. The series of screams torn from his friend's throat increased in volume as the blade was twisted violently out of the man's body.

Cruel laughter from Sasuke's mouth made Daniel's stomach churn with the knowledge that the blade was already heading back toward the shinobi who'd only just stopped screaming. He had a clear view of Kakashi's eye as it tracked the path of that blade, and this time, even Daniel had yelled out when the length of steel was pushed through the man's left shoulder and that visible eye went glassy from the pain.

Once more the blade was twisted free, and once more the boy laughed at Kakashi's misery. Daniel couldn't begin to imagine the level of agony his friend must be experiencing, and he wondered just how much more the man could take. He gathered his courage and tried to defuse the situation as best as he could.

"Sasuke, please! You've proven that you are the one in control. _Please!_ Stop it! You'll _kill_ him!"

The blade paused in its path at Daniel's words, and for the briefest moment he thought that perhaps his plea had succeeded. But a moment later and that damnable blade was thrust through Kakashi's upper arm. Sasuke leaned in closer to his victim's ear.

"_So much for your prediction that the man would not break, Sensei. Perhaps I should turn my attention toward him to see just how long it will take for him to share all his secrets, hmm?"_

Even with all his injuries, Kakashi tried to lunge toward the boy, and he pushed one of the fiercest growls out of his mouth that Daniel had ever heard. _"If you lay one finger on him, Sasuke, you won't live long enough to regret it!"_

Again the boy laughed maniacally at Kakashi. _"You've already killed me once, Sensei. You can see how well that took."_

The sword was pulled free once more, and Sasuke raised his free hand up until Daniel could see that it was now covered in the same sort of energy that had been on the blade moments before. _"Now...it's _my_ turn!"_

The boy lunged toward Kakashi, aiming that hand of sparking energy straight at the man's chest. But a moment before it could hit its mark, Madara appeared at Sasuke's side and gripped the boy's wrist before any more damage could be done.

"_Sasuke, if I'd known that this would be how you would treat our guests in my absence, I wouldn't have left you alone for quite so long."_

"_You had said that he was _mine_ to kill."_

Madara chuckled. _"True enough, boy." _He released Sasuke's wrist before folding his arms in front of him._ "But it will be at _my_ say so...and not before."_

The only signs that Sasuke had accepted the older man's words were when he narrowed his eyes, then cleaned and sheathed his blade, before grunting and walking away. Daniel tried to slouch his shoulders in relief over Kakashi's temporary reprieve, but when he moved, the wire around his neck dug sharply into his skin causing him to gasp in pain. Mismatched eyes that had previously been focused on the shinobi were now turned toward him, and he wished, more than ever, that this was all just a nightmare.

"Ah, yes...Doctor Jackson. How good of you to remind me that you are here as well." Madara squatted in front of him and sighed, tapping one finger against his temple as he spoke. "I'm afraid that the snake in my head isn't very forthcoming on exactly _why_ it's so vital for you to be handed over to the Goa'uld. Perhaps you'd be willing to share that bit of information with me?"

Daniel found it curious that this man's relationship with his symbiote was closer to what the Tok'ra experience than anything, but more so, he couldn't believe that the two were actually able to keep information from each other. That might come in handy down the line...assuming there _was_ a 'down the line,' that is. Still, he certainly wasn't going to let this lunatic learn about him any time soon.

Another deep sigh came from Madara, causing Daniel to look directly at the man. "I'm afraid I really _do_ need to know more about you, Doctor Jackson."

He was about to deny having any real worth to the Goa'uld, when he noticed the comma-like shapes within the man's red eye had started slowly spinning and morphing into something similar to the pinwheel design he'd glimpsed earlier in Sasuke's eyes. The world around him became tinged in a haze of red, and a wave of vertigo similar to what he'd felt when being transported to his current location nearly took his breath away.

When his stomach and vision had settled a bit, Daniel took a moment to look at his surroundings...and he immediately wished that he hadn't. Very few people knew him close enough to know his innermost fears, but somehow, Madara managed to place him directly in the middle of some of his worst nightmares

To one side was the museum exhibit which had claimed the lives of both of his parents when he had been just a boy. Next to that stood the dais and throne from Abydos, complete with the Goa'uld Ra sitting there holding the golden amulet he'd received just before his first Gate mission. Next to that sat the vat in which Hathor had used him to create new Goa'uld larvae. Next to that stood one of the savage Unas from one mission or another. And then there was the simple tent building that Daniel recognized immediately as the one in which his Goa'uld-possessed wife had lost her life after birthing the child of Apophis.

He tried his best to ignore all the scenes around him, but no matter which way he turned, another event from his past would surround him and try to force him into reliving it. And when he tried to avoid concentrating on any of them, additional dioramas of other past memories would pop into existence.

It was obvious to him now that he was under some kind of grand illusion, because otherwise these scenes would never have co-existed. But, no matter how many times he tried to convince his mind of that logic, some overwhelming sensory detail would sneak into his awareness and try to prove him wrong. After all, no matter how good an illusion was, it wasn't ever supposed to _feel_ so...solid...so _real_.

The closest he'd ever come to something like this had been when he'd been forced to drink the Blood of Sokar back when he and SG-1 had gone to that Goa'uld's version of Hell to rescue Sam's dad. Back then, he'd been able to discern that it was all lies. But this...whatever the hell this was...went so far as to surround him with smells and wind and heat, which was making that border between reality and illusion nearly impossible for him to tell apart.

Meanwhile, at the very edge of his perception he was starting to sense that Madara was actually rummaging through each scene, leaving Daniel's memories somehow feeling violated. None of this made sense to him, and with each passing moment it was becoming harder and harder for him not to simply fall into one scene or another.

But then, with no warning at all, the red-tinged sky swirled violently around him once more, and he was back where he'd started from. He'd wanted nothing more than to fall to the ground and curl into a ball until the residual memories had left his mind, but the moment that he had tried to move, he was reminded of the fact that he was still trussed like a Thanksgiving turkey.

Daniel tried to find something to concentrate on other than the feeling of nausea that was threatening to overtake him, so he focused in on the form of Madara directly in front of him. The man was hunched forward a bit, and his face was hidden in shadow. His breathing was nearly as labored as his own, and a tiny part of Daniel's mind hoped that he'd somehow managed to hurt Madara while they'd been sharing those memories. Of course, when that head lifted to show the glowing eyes of Rāvana, Daniel knew that wasn't the case at all.

* * *

It had taken forever for Naruto, Iruka-sensei, and Granny-Tsunade to convince Ino's dad that they weren't all crazy. And then it had taken even longer for _him_ to convince the rest of the Yamanaka clan that _he_ hadn't gone nuts. But when it was all over, every last one of them agreed that maybe, just maybe, Naruto's logic might not be completely insane.

Which was why he was currently in Sage-mode, sitting in the middle of this furnace of a room, sweating through his clothes, and waiting for any of these supposed elite ninja to get their acts together so they could _finally_ start trying to find Kakashi-sensei. He was just about to give up and shut down his Sage technique when Ino's dad placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We're ready to start, Naruto. We just need you to reach out and try to locate Kakashi. After you have confirmed that you can feel him, then we will take it from there."

"Right. Okay. Let's get going then." Naruto was ready to start, when he had a sudden thought. "Umm, I have a question before we do this."

Ino's dad crossed his arms. "Go ahead."

"How are you going to track Kakashi-sensei down once I tell you that I feel him?" He scratched at the back of his neck self-consciously. "I mean, you _all_ don't have to mess with my head, do you?"

The look on the man's face made Naruto want to take back what he said, but he needed to know. When Ino's dad spoke, though, he was really glad he'd asked. "How else would we be able to track him down, hmm?"

Naruto could feel a low chuckle deep within his mind from the Kyuubi. He pushed the beast's thoughts regarding new playthings away and met the man's eyes directly. "No more than one of you should hook up to my head. The Fox may not be as crazy as he used to be, but I don't really want to tempt him too much."

After a silent moment, Ino's dad smiled at him. "I see that you've picked up some of Kakashi's habits."

"Huh?"

"You think about the safety of others before you do your own."

Naruto grinned back at the man. "Yeah...I guess he _does _always do that."

He watches as Ino's dad glanced around the circle of men and, after a moment, nodded his head once before looking back down at him. "I will be the only one to have direct contact to your mind, Naruto. The others will use me as a conduit for the information."

He frowned. "So if _he_ tries something...?"

"There will be a dozen able-minded jonin ready to break the connection before the Kyuubi can do more than give you and I a headache."

Naruto took a deep breath and released it in one go before grinning at Ino's dad. "Right! So let's get going then!"

Naruto settled into a cross-legged position with Ino's dad right behind him. He felt the gentle pressure of the man's fingers as he placed them on his head, and a moment later he knew that he had linked into his mind.

"Go ahead, Naruto."

At those quiet words, he closed his eyes and centered himself before stretching out his awareness, just as the toads had taught him. He felt the life force of all of those within the room, as well as every member of Konoha, both shinobi and civilian. There was something reassuring to Naruto in feeling so much life all around him...especially after the War. But he couldn't afford to be distracted by it right now. He needed to concentrate on what they were trying to do. He needed to find Kakashi-sensei!

So he pushed away every single life-force one by one, until all that was left was the faint humming that Naruto associated with the silver-haired jonin. It was more difficult to find than the last time he'd done this, and he couldn't help hoping that it didn't mean the man was dying.

He frowned, and chased that thought away. Now wasn't the time for him to think that way. He needed to hold onto the fact that there was still some trace of his sensei, no matter how small. He concentrated on that fragile thread and poured his will into not losing sight of it.

"Okay. I found him!"

Naruto felt Ino's dad grab onto that thread of a connection and, before he knew it, he could hear them talking all around him.

"It's not much to go by."

"How the hell are we going to track him down with such a weak connection?"

"I've seen clearer connections on people who _are_ dead. What's to say the Copy-ninja isn't dead too?"

"Are we even sure that's him?"

Naruto was beginning to get angry at the comments. But he calmed instantly when Ino's dad spoke to all those gathered.

"I've worked with him since he was a small child, and I can guarantee that this is Kakashi Hatake's energy. Now, let's work quickly and track him down."

* * *

Iruka stood away from where the Yamanaka were positioned around Naruto, and he couldn't help but feel relief when Inoichi acknowledged that, indeed, Naruto had actually felt the Copy-ninja, and hadn't just made it up. But it was the fact that Naruto had put the safety of the others ahead of the urge to find Kakashi that made him the proudest.

Naruto had certainly come a long way since Iruka had first met the blond bundle of energy. And if he was being completely honest with himself, if anyone had told him that the boy he'd had to watch scrub every last speck of paint off of the Hokage Mountain would someday have the respect of the entire village, he'd have thought that they'd lost their minds.

But in this room sat the proof of just how far Naruto had come. He had one of the most respected Clans in Konoha working together with him. And the level of concentration and patience that the young man was demonstrating was just one more change that had Iruka thinking that Naruto's dream of becoming Hokage just might happen after all.

Iruka was so intent on the men in the center of the room that he nearly jumped when he heard the current Hokage's voice in his ear.

"So, is the Kid insane? Or might my best shinobi still be out there somewhere?"

Iruka turned and faced the leader of Konoha, and was shocked when he saw the telltale signs of _fear_ showing in her golden eyes. But as soon as Tsunade noticed his attention, that look was replaced with one that made it clear she was waiting for his answer. He scratched at the scar that stretched across his face, even as he felt the heat of embarrassment across his cheeks.

"Forgive me Hokage. They've found sign of Kakashi, but they haven't really said much else since then."

The woman lifted her left hand up until she could easily chew on the side of her thumb. "Who said that they found him?"

Iruka frowned at the sudden thought that the woman might actually _believe_ that Naruto had made it all up. He was about to give her a piece of his mind, Hokage or not, when Inoichi Yamanaka's startled voice interrupted them.

"What the _hell_ was _that?_"

"Whoa! You mean _you_ felt that too?"

Naruto's reply didn't do anything to help Iruka figure out what was going on. But, thankfully, the Hokage wasn't willing to try and guess for herself.

"Inoichi! Naruto! What the hell are you two babbling about?"

Naruto was grinning like a fool, but much to Iruka's amazement, he actually let Inoichi explain. "When we first made contact with Kakashi, it was as though he was here...but _not_ here."

He watched Tsunade roll her eyes. "I've heard that one before. Tell me something that I _haven't_ heard."

Inoichi chuckled. "How about the fact that our connection to Kakashi has actually strengthened?"

Iruka felt his eyes go wide. "Strengthened? What does that mean?"

"We're not sure yet. But if you'll let us continue, Lady Tsunade, we hope to have the answers for you soon."

The blatant redirection of the Iruka's question toward the Hokage made it clear that he probably shouldn't have been the one to question the Yamanaka Clan leader, and he dutifully remained silent. He watched as a ghost of a smile crossed over the woman's lips, and her words held more than a bit of hope in them.

"Find him, Inoichi. Find him...so that we can bring him home."

A single nod of the Clan leader's head, and everyone was once more working toward that common goal.

* * *

Jack was dragged back to consciousness by what sounded like a flock of birds. And he didn't mean birds like he'd hear at his cabin either. No, these ones sounded incredibly pissed off. It reminded him of one of those scenes from that Alfred Hitchcock movie, The Birds. And by the sound of it, they were headed in for the kill.

Then, without warning, the birds were gone. And all that was left was the sound of voices speaking in that strange version of Japanese that he'd come to associate with the Tree Frog. And it was crystal clear by the tone that was being used that those speaking were nearly as angry as those birds had been.

He resisted the urge to groan, recognizing by the pounding in his head and the sharp pain on his neck that whatever the hell had happened to him, he probably wasn't supposed to be awake yet. The last thing he remembered was pointing his P-90 at that dark-haired kid from the Tree-frog's memory, and then...nothing. Well, unless you counted the nightmares filled with torturous screams, that is. The weird thing was that those screams didn't seem to been his own.

Jack opened his eyes a bit to try and get an idea of what the current state of things was, and he realized that maybe those screams hadn't been a nightmare after all. One look at where Kakashi was pinned to the wall with his head hanging down and gaping holes in various parts of his body was enough for him to figure out that there was no way the guy hadn't been screaming his head off during whatever the hell kind of torture they put him through.

He watched discreetly as the kid walked out of the area, and his attention shifted toward where the older guy was now squatting in front of Daniel. He couldn't quite hear what was being said, but the way Danny's shoulders had tensed up, it couldn't be anything good. Still, it looked like the snake-head's focus was solely on his friend, and as much as it killed him to think it, this would give him the perfect chance to go get the Tree-frog loose.

Maybe together they could figure out a way to rescue Danny, and get the hell out of wherever the hell they landed this time. He took one more quick look around before he pushed himself off the ground. To his dismay, he was a lot less steady on his feet than he had expected, and he wondered about just what he'd been hit with.

Keeping to the edges of the room, if you could call it a room, Jack moved toward where Kakashi was looking more like roadkill than a tree-frog at the moment. If not for the obvious labored breathing of the man, he'd be sorely tempted to think that kid had killed the silver-haired man. Still, it was pretty obvious by the time he'd gotten next to Kakashi that his hopes of working together with him to free Danny might not be a go after all. Heck, he'd be lucky if the guy could stand on his own once he cut him free of his bonds.

Jack leaned in closer to see what was keeping the man attached to the wall and he saw what looked to be fishing line. He reached out and felt it between two fingers and was surprised to find that it was actually very thin wire. He smiled to himself. Good thing he used to be a Boy Scout. He pulled out his handy-dandy Swiss Army knife and tried to figure out which doohickey might do the trick. After all, how hard could it possibly be to cut through such thin wire?

* * *

Kakashi tried his best to bring his breathing back to normal after his session with Sasuke, and he had to admit that if Madara hadn't shown up when he did, then there was a very good chance that he would have died as a victim of his own original technique. Somehow, the irony of the situation did nothing to relieve his racing heart.

He wasn't completely sure where Sasuke had wandered off to, but he was glad that his former student wasn't being given the go ahead to kill him quite yet. Of course, that didn't mean that he was in the clear. He was still severely chakra depleted, he was injured in ways that he knew wouldn't heal properly without a medical-ninja's help, and he was still fastened to the wall. He had definitely had better days.

Kakashi would have sighed at that thought, but honestly, he didn't have the energy for it. He was about to try to lift his head and see what Madara was up to, when he felt a presence step up to him. He struggled to tell if it was Sasuke returning or not, but he couldn't feel more than a whisper of chakra. So, either his chakra sensing had become worse than a genin's since this ordeal started, or he was about to be graced with the presence of Colonel O'Neill.

"Hang in there, General. I'll have you loose before you know it."

Before he had a chance to comment on the horrible pun that the man had just used, he felt the wire holding his right arm in place tugged until it was cutting into his skin. Kakashi held back a hiss of pain while Jack continued to work his way through the various spans of wire that fastened him in place. Eventually the last cut was done, and he found himself sliding free of his bonds. When his feet touched the ground, his knees nearly buckled, but Jack was there to catch him before he could fall.

"Come on, General. Keep it together until we can get Danny and get the hell outta here."

Gritting his teeth against the pain coursing through his body, Kakashi couldn't do more than grunt in response to the man's words. His chakra pathways were still barely functioning, thanks to Madara's unique adjustments to the hand device, but at least he could access it enough that he could keep himself from having to rely too much on anyone's help.

"I'm fine, Colonel. Concentrate on Daniel."

He caught the look of doubt in the man's eyes, and had to push down the urge to laugh. Could this really be the same man who had tried to shoot him with a Zat-gun less than twenty-four hours ago? Still, when he pushed himself free of the arms holding him up, he had to admit that he was in worse shape than he'd thought. But the fact that he hadn't collapsed to the ground must have counted for something, because Jack's attention shifted to where Madara was still squatting in front of Daniel.

"Maybe I should just shoot the guy." The man's weapon was lifted up to emphasize his point.

Kakashi sighed and pushed the muzzle back down toward the floor. "What happens when Madara phases out and your bullets hit Daniel instead?"

"Damn freaks. So what do we do?"

Before he had the chance to respond to the question, Madara stood up abruptly and clutched his head in his hands. The Uchiha's voice echoed through the area, sending a shiver up Kakashi's spine.

"Try that again, Snake, and I'll kill Daniel before you can do more than watch!"

A moment later and that voice changed over to that of the Goa'uld that shared the man's body. "Perhaps I should use that same threat toward the silver-haired boy fastened to the wall?"

A growl followed, with Madara bending down on one knee and bowing his head. When his shaky voice was next heard it was clear that regaining control over the snake had taken more than a bit of his energy.

"I already know that you're free, Hatake. But I'll be damned if I'll let this creature take the thrill of your death away from Sasuke." Madara turned to face him and the Colonel, and it was clear that the man was still struggling to maintain control.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Meaning what, exactly?"

The Uchiha frowned. "Meaning that I need to send you and the civilians somewhere that this snake cannot gain access to until he has learned his place."

"Who the hell are you calling a civilian?"

Kakashi sighed at Jack's outburst. "Now's not the time to argue semantics, Colonel."

Meanwhile, Madara simply ignored the comments altogether. He moved over to where Daniel was still kneeling on the floor and, with a single flare of chakra, released him from the wires.

"Go stand with the others if you wish to live, boy."

Kakashi was glad to see that Daniel knew enough to simply do as he was told instead of argue with the man. But still, he couldn't help thinking that this was just a way to make sure he could take them all out with a single jutsu. His chakra was already starting to fail him, and he did nothing to stop Daniel and Jack as they both slipped their arms around his waist to keep him standing.

Madara turned to face them, and Kakashi could actually seen the sheen of sweat covering the man's brow. It was clear to him that the battle for control was far from over. Still, the Uchiha's sharingan morphed into his form of the Mangekyo, and before they were pulled into the dimensional vortex once more, the man's words surrounded them.

"Try not to die before I come for you, Hatake. Sasuke would hate to miss out on your last breath."

With that, the floor spun out from under their feet, sending them careening toward wherever Madara had in store for them this time. The jutsu finished, and once more Kakashi found himself in a tangle of arms and legs on yet another cold stone floor. The three of them worked together to untangle themselves. By the time they were done, every wound on his body felt raw, but he couldn't afford to rest quite yet. He struggled to keep his awareness long enough to ascertain if they were in immediate danger or not.

They were in a cave of some sort, but before he could tell much more than that, he was tackled to the ground by an unknown assailant. He grunted in pain and tried to gather more than a spark of chakra to defend against whoever it was that was trying to squeeze the life out of him, but he simply didn't have it in him. Just when he had accepted that he was about to die in such an undignified way, the crushing hold was released and strong hands gripped him by the shoulders and pulled him up until he could see who his attacker was.

His blurry eyes locked on the grinning face in front of him and Kakashi wondered if perhaps he was dreaming. After all, there was only one person he could think of with such blond hair and a penchant for wearing orange and black. And what were the chances that Madara would actually send them back to Konoha?

"_Kakashi-sensei! I _told_ them I'd find a way to get you back!_" The grin quickly turned to a frown as he seemed to notice the injuries scattered across his body. "_Shit! What happened to you? You're a mess! And don't give me any of that 'lost on the road of life' crap!_"

He tried to shrug off the boy's concern, but the movement pulled a groan out of his lips instead. That single sound seemed to trigger a flurry of activity. He was pulled away from Naruto's grip and laid out gently on the ground. He felt the comforting warmth of healing chakra begin to sink into his body, but he knew that he needed to do one more thing before he could allow himself to relax.

Kakashi pushed himself up until he was propped on his elbows. He scanned the dozen or so faces surrounding him for a familiar face and stopped when he saw Iruka Umino standing to the side.

"_Iruka-sensei...please watch over the two men who were with me until I'm able to do so myself._"

"_Shouldn't I leave that to the ANBU?_"

"_They are not from the Five Great Countries, Iruka. But I can vouch for them. They are good people."_

There was a moment where Kakashi feared that the Academy-instructor would deny his request, but it melted away when the chunin smiled wide and bowed in his direction.

"_I'll do as you ask, Kakashi-sensei._"

"_If you're done worrying about everyone else, Brat, let my medics do their job."_

Kakashi turned toward where he'd heard Tsunade's voice and was surprised to see her flanked by a handful of the Yamanaka Clan, each looking more than a bit winded. He had a feeling that there'd be one hell of a story to be shared all around, but for now he was content to do as the leader of Konoha ordered. He sank back to a laying position and allowed a smile to grace his lips even as the healing chakra lulled him into a deep sleep.


	13. The Finer Points of Information Sharing

Chapter 13

The Finer Points of Information Sharing

Daniel sat at the table set against the back wall of the hospital room they'd been assigned to and sipped at his tea. His eyes followed Jack's path as he paced from one corner of the room to the other, Each time he passed by the open doorway he'd glance toward the backs of the two mask-wearing guards that had taking up position there when they'd first been brought here. And each time he'd complete a full circuit, the Colonel would grumble about one thing or another.

Most of the time Daniel would completely ignore the man. After all, he knew from experience that Jack hated not knowing what was going on, and that this was one of his less physical ways to release that pent up frustration. But every now and then, he'd use a tone that would border on dangerous, and the guards posted would tense noticeably until Daniel managed to rein Jack back in.

"You know what, Danny? If I still had my P-90 they wouldn't be treating us like this." Jack's tone once more set the guards on edge. "In fact, I'd probably shoot the lot of them and get us the hell outta here!"

Daniel sighed heavily before placing his cup down and leaning his elbows on his knees. "Then its probably a good thing you don't have your P-90."

Jack spun toward him, and this time his volume was so loud that both guards turned to face them. "Whose side are you on, Daniel! They're treating us like we're _prisoners!_ What part of this is a good thing?"

"There are no sides in this, Jack. And I'd hardly call this room a prison." Jack scowled at him. "Besides, even if we shot our way out of here, what would that get us?"

"It would get us the hell outta this place! Isn't that enough?"

Daniel leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Okay. So let's just say that you actually were able to shoot our way out. Then what?"

"What do you mean, 'then what?' Then we find our way home!"

He shook his head at the man. "And how do you think that's going to go?"

Finally, Jack paused in his rantings. "What do you mean?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I didn't see a DHD, did you? Not to mention an obvious lack of a Stargate. So, once you shoot our way out of here, what's next?"

That seemed to knock the wind out of the Colonel's sails, and when he spoke again, it was at a much lower volume. "I don't know, Daniel. But at least we wouldn't be holed up with a bunch of costume-wearing freaks."

Now that Jack was no longer yelling, the guards turned their backs to them once more. "I really wish that you'd stop referring to them as freaks, Jack They really do seem like a nice bunch of folks."

"Yeah, right. If you had your way, we'd show up to every planet with a bunch of flowers and a bundt cake."

Daniel frowned. "Or we could do it _your_ way, and shoot people before we find out if they are friendly or not. What does _that_ get us?"

Jack sat down on the edge of the bed nearest him and he smirked. "It would sure as hell make them pay attention to us."

"And what do you do when you've run out of bullets?"

He watched a look of confusion cover his companion's face. "We wouldn't."

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure that I didn't see a local gun and ammo shop when we walked into the village. Did you?"

Jack looked like he was about to go off on another rant, but then he shut his mouth and pouted a bit before accepting the truth of the matter. "Fine. But I still don't like not knowing what the hell is going on."

Daniel sighed once more and picked up his cup, only to discover it was empty. He set it back down and stood up, taking a moment to stretch his muscles before walking over to the doorway. He kept his hands visible and waited until one of the two guards acknowledged his presence, because, if there was one thing that he'd already learned about these masked guards, it was that they didn't need to face you to know that you were there.

The guard on the left looked over his shoulder, giving Daniel a clear view of the bone-white mask with the red markings that instantly made him think of a bird, although he wasn't quite sure what type of bird it might be. He swallowed back his discomfort when those shadowed eyes seemed to lock with his, and hoped his voice would keep steady.

"_Please pardon me, but I was hoping that you might know how Kakashi Hatake is doing. Has he woken up yet?"_

The guard continued to stare at him, but said nothing in response to his query. Daniel frowned and scratched at the side of his neck. He'd been certain that he'd said that correctly. Maybe he'd gotten something wrong. He was just about to try again, when the guard turned all the way toward him and crossed his arms.

"_You just cost me a night's pay." _

Daniel took a startled step backward at the slightly muffled voice from behind the mask. _"I'm sorry, but how did I manage that?"_

A low growl came from behind the mask, and for a moment, he was afraid he'd somehow insulted the man...if it was a man, that is. Thankfully, he wasn't left in the dark for long, as the dark-haired man who'd looked after them in the cave pushed his way into the room. It took Daniel only a moment to remember the name that went with the face...Iruka.

The man waved his hand back at the guards with a laugh in his voice. _"Please ignore Crow. He's simply upset because he lost a bet."_

Daniel frowned. He was obviously missing something. _"A bet? About what?"_

Iruka smiled. _"A bet about whether or not you two could speak our language."_

He laughed at that. _"Well, in that case, he should only lose half a night's pay. Jack still doesn't speak or understand your words."_

"Hey! What did you just say? I thought I heard my name! What the heck are you telling them, Daniel?"

He sighed and turned to where Jack was glaring at them. "I was just explaining that you haven't had the time to learn their language yet. Now that Iruka is here, I'm hoping I can get some more information on how Kakashi's doing."

"Right...'cuz the Tree-frog's health is so much more important than finding us a way outta here."

"Jack...please."

At a half-hearted wave of the Colonel's hand, Daniel turned back toward Iruka. _"Sorry about that. He's just a little stir-crazy."_

"_If our situations were reversed, I doubt I would fare much better." _The shinobi rubbed at the back of his neck, making it obvious to Daniel that he was trying to find the right words. _"Daniel, the Hokage has asked to meet with you."_

"_Just me? What about the Colonel?"_

Iruka switched to rubbing the scar that crossed his nose. _"I'm afraid she only asked for you. Will that be a problem?"_

He glanced back over to where Jack was lying back on the bed with his arms folded under his head. _"If we can hold off leaving for a little while longer, it may not be an issue. The Colonel hasn't really rested since we were home, and he's bound to lose his fight with sleep any minute now."_

As if on cue, a soft snore could be heard from where Jack was laying. Daniel resisted the urge to laugh, and motioned to Iruka that he was ready to go. The dark-haired man led the way out of the room and down the hall of what had obviously once been a well-equipped hospital. At the moment, however, it looked more like a badly built movie set than anything even remotely sterile.

Evidence of the war that Kakashi had told him about was everywhere he looked. Halfway fallen down walls made up the majority of the east side of the building, and it was clear that he and Jack were actually being housed in one of only a handful of untouched rooms in the building.

The sounds of construction could be heard throughout the building, and it made him think that the village was already well on the way to rebuilding itself. Still, they hadn't quite managed to clean up all the signs of the battle that were left behind. Streaks of what could only be blood were still coloring some of the standing walls, and when Iruka motioned for him to turn down another hall, he'd been able to look through a blown-out area of the wall and saw that the destruction hadn't been limited to just this building.

"_We are here, Daniel."_ His escort furrowed his brow before continuing. _"Please be patient with the Hokage. She has only just returned from surgery and is bound to be a bit...cranky."_

He smiled at Iruka, trying to put the man at ease. _"I'm sort of skilled at dealing with cranky people."_

"_Ah, yes. You mean the Colonel, of course." _He pushed the door to the side and motioned for him to step through. _"He does seem a bit cranky."_

Before Daniel had a chance to confirm the man's assumption, he was greeted by a rather tired sounding female voice. _"Have a seat boys, I don't have the energy to stand on ceremony at the moment."_

He looked toward the far side of the small room he'd been brought to, and saw a haggard looking blond-haired woman who was currently hunched forward with her forehead leaning on the palms of her hands. Her elbows were perched on top of a well worn wooden desk, and there were papers and scrolls scattered across its surface. It wasn't until both he and Iruka had taken their seats that the woman lifted her head and leaned back in her chair.

Daniel tried his best not to stare at the woman's chest, but to say that she was well-endowed would be a gross understatement. Fortunately, she didn't seem to notice his problem.

"_You are Daniel Jackson, correct?"_

Evidently she wasn't one for small talk. _"I am, Hokage."_

"_And you were there when my shinobi acquired his injuries?"_

Daniel frowned at this line of questioning, but responded all the same. _"If you are referring to Kakashi Hatake, then yes, I was there."_

She narrowed her golden eyes at him, and he could have sworn the air temperature around him dropped a few degrees. _"I see. Then perhaps you'd care to explain to me just what kind of weapon was used on him that managed to mess up seventy percent of his chakra pathways?"_

"_I think Kakashi can probably explain it to you better than I can."_

The Hokage placed her hands palm down on the desk and leaned forward. _"Believe me, I wish he could. But he is currently in an induced coma until I can figure out a way to fix the damage without leaving him crippled...or worse."_

Daniel knew his eyes had gone wide at her words, but none of this made any sense. _"That can't be right. Kakashi would have told me if he was injured that badly."_

The Hokage sighed and leaned back in her chair once more. _"No, the damned brat _wouldn't_ have told you."_

Now he was confused. Did she think that perhaps he had done something to Kakashi? Or was it simply like Iruka had warned him, and she was tired and cranky? Maybe he just needed to try a different approach.

"_All I know is that, when I first met Kakashi, he'd mentioned something about his chakra pathways being partially blocked. He'd speculated it had something to do with his jutsu mixing with Madara's."_

He noticed the woman's eyes go wide at his words. _"Let me get this straight. Kakashi and Madara used their ocular jutsu against each other? And they _combined?_"_

Daniel nodded. _"He and I talked at length about it. It was the only logical conclusion we could come up with that could explain how we ended up meeting."_

Iruka's voice at his side startled him. He'd actually forgotten the man was there. _"What was so odd about your meeting that it made the two of you need to come up with an explanation?"_

He looked between the Hokage and Iruka and wondered if they'd even believe him if he told them just how and where he'd met Kakashi. But by the look in the eyes of the woman, he really wasn't being given a choice. He took a steadying breath before saying the words that he hoped wouldn't result in him being put into a straight-jacket.

"_We met on a different world."_

He was met with absolute silence. Iruka looked like he was going to laugh, while the Hokage narrowed her eyes and frowned. She leaned forward, and once again, Daniel could almost feel the air around them drop a few degrees.

"_This isn't a time to joke. Every minute that you waste here is time that I _should_ be spending trying to fix whatever the hell happened to the Brat." _She settled back in her chair and shot him a challenging glare. _"Unless you'd prefer to speak to T & I."_

Daniel turned toward Iruka, who was no longer laughing, and who actually looked a shade or two paler. _"T & I?"_

The dark-haired man whispered his answer. _"That's our Torture and Interrogation unit."_

Daniel was afraid of this. How the heck was he going to convince this powerful woman that he wasn't lying to her? _"Where I come from, we have a device called the Stargate that allows us to explore other planets. It was on one of those worlds that I was captured by one of our enemies, and it is where Kakashi was taken captive as well. But we escaped, and made it safely back to my home world. That is, until Madara sucked us into his dimensional trap where I was forced to watch as Kakashi was tortured by Sasuke. And then,..."_

The Hokage's hand slammed down on the desk, causing the papers and scrolls there to shift dangerously close to the edge. _"Enough! Now I _know_ that you're lying. Sasuke Uchiha died before Kakashi was pulled from the battle. I have confirmed this report weeks ago. How _dare_ you think to use _that_ boy in this lie!"_

Daniel took his glasses off with shaky hands, and then rubbed at the bridge of his nose. _"I really am __telling you the truth. One of my world's enemies has the means to heal the human body...even from death, if the process is administered within a certain time period." _He sighed in frustration. _"If we were on my world, we have a way to show memories to others. Then you'd know I wasn't lying. But unless you have a way to see inside my head, all I have to offer are my words."_

Again, silence reigned in the room.

* * *

General Hammond looked around the room at the faces of both human and Tok'ra and saw by their expressions that they'd realized the gravity of this latest situation, just as he had. It was bad enough that the embarkation room looked like a war zone, but when coupled with the reality that Colonel O'Neil and Doctor Jackson had been kidnapped, this went from bad to worse. Add to that the fact that General Hatake had warned them that this very thing might happen, and he was left with one hell of a mess to sort through.

His thoughts went to the mysterious General Hatake. Some of the memories that the man had shared with them before the attack seemed so fer-fetched that he knew that none of them could believe them completely. And then, when those memories had gone to Kakashi's childhood...if you could call it a childhood...it became clear to him that the man's enemies, if they were raised the same way, were serious trouble. Which, of course, was proven true when he, too, was whisked away buy Madara.

Hammond frowned. All they could do now was damage control. He'd already authorized the GDO codes known by the Colonel and Doctor Jackson be wiped from the system, and instructed Walter to contact every off-world team to make sure they were aware of the changes. Now all that he had left to do was officially inform Washington of this event...and hope to hell they didn't ask for his resignation.

He ran a hand over his brow and shook his head. When had his life become this complicated? He should have been happily retired years ago, but instead he was in the bowels of a mountain trying to keep the world safe from alien lifeforms...again. But one look around the room at the men and women of the SGC and those of the Tok'ra brought it all back into focus for him. He'd felt a connection with all of the men and women under his command, but with SG-1 he felt something closer to a family bond. Jack may as well be his little brother, and Daniel...well Daniel was closer to a son than even _he_ wanted to admit. That young man was able to inject an eagerness and sense of wonder into everything he touched. So, to not see their faces as he gazed around the table was more than enough to make him willing to work with anyone who could find those boys and bring them home.

He cleared his throat to gain the attention of all those in the room. "I'm open to suggestions on how we rescue my men."

"_Rescue_ them?" Breanar looked as though she'd just eaten a handful of sour grapes. "We should be discussing how to limit the damage done at this point. To think that a rescue of any kind is even a possibility just shows me how immature your entire race is."

He tried to control the anger that was bubbling up within him. "Now hold on one minute there. You can't seriously think that we'd simply write them off?"

Martouf placed a hand on Breanar's arm before he responded to the question. "I am afraid that I must agree with Breanar in this case, General Hammond. The Tok'ra must go on the assumption that any information held by Colonel O'Neill or Daniel Jackson is in jeopardy. Our only option in such a case is to move any location that the two knew about."

Major Carter leaned forward and locked eyes with Martouf, putting voice to the exact thought that had bee running through his own mind. "Without even trying to get them back? That can't be the only option. It just _can't_ be!"

A frown settled on the Tok'ra's lips, but he made no attempt to respond to her question. The silence stretched on for several uncomfortable seconds before Teal'c spoke in a hushed tone.

"Would you not launch a rescue if it were the Tok'ra that had been taken instead?"

No one replied, leaving that uncomfortable silence once again. The General knew that the Tok'ra didn't look at most things in the way that he did, but he found it hard to believe that they would abandon their own. Especially considering they'd requested SG-1's aid in bringing Jacob back from the grip of Sokar.

"General Hammond, I know that it seems that we Tok'ra are being somewhat inconsistent." Selmak's voice came from his friend's throat. "But if we hadn't been carrying vital information for the cause, there is every chance that we, too, would have been left on our own."

His frown turned into a scowl. "That seems rather counterproductive for a race with limited numbers."

Martouf rubbed at the back of his neck, reminding him of Daniel in that instant. "I can see how you might think that, General. But we have many more years of experience in this topic, and we have found that the loss of one Tok'ra is far outweighed by the loss of time and resources that it would take to retrieve them."

Major Carter shot a dark look across the table. "Is that why none of you went after Jolinar? Because it would have taken too many resources?"

Martouf avoided her eyes, and at that moment, it became clear to the General that they would not be receiving help from the Tok'ra when it came to searching for their taken members. He pushed down his urge to throttle them, reminding himself that he would be court-martialed for such things. Instead, he decided to switch to another topic which he hoped would unite the two races once more.

"Major Carter. Perhaps you could review the Gate room footage and see if there is any way for us to safe-guard the base against any future attempts by this Madara fellow."

His request was received as it was meant, and she rose to her feet. "Right away, Sir. I'm sure Walter and I can find something to work with."

Jacob shared a wink with him, showing the man understood the opportunity to mend some fences when he saw it. "Sammy, want some help from an old man?"

Major Carter glanced over toward him, and at a nod of his head, she turned to face her father. "Sure, Dad. Between us we should find what we need."

"May I join you as well, Samantha?" The mildness of the request showed the General, more than anything, just how upset Martouf likely was from the Major's comment about Jolinar.

"Sam." Jacob placed one hand on his daughter's wrist. "He does have experience in things like this."

A frown settled on the woman's face, but she knew better than to hold a grudge when the safety and security of the base, let alone Earth, was on the line. "The extra help would be appreciated."

Teal'c meanwhile, pushed himself to standing. "General Hammond, I believe that I could assist those in the Embarkation Room with the clean up."

"That would be fine, Son." He watched the Jaffa leave before he turned his attention back toward the remaining Tok'ra contingent. "Perhaps the rest of us should return to the lower levels to review the footage from General Hatake's memories."

Breanar looked like she was about to argue, but he narrowed his eyes at the woman and continued to speak. "I trust that we don't have to waste precious time debating about whether or not such recordings exist?"

He caught the surprised look on Aldwin's face at such a statement, while Breanar simply frowned at him. After a long, drawn out moment, she rose from her seat. "Perhaps I underestimated your maturity after all. Will you lead the way, General Hammond?"

He hated the fact that he had to play such games with the Tok'ra...especially considering how long this alliance had already stood. Still, he would do this, and much more, if it meant there was anything that they might use to find his missing men.

* * *

Iruka watched the Hokage chewing on the side of her thumb, and he knew that something Daniel had said had caught her attention. The problem was, he had no clue what that might have been. If they were to believe even half of what this man said, then Sasuke Uchiha was still alive, and Kakashi had been traipsing around other worlds thanks to his and Madara's dojutsu colliding. It was just too strange to be true.

When he glanced at the man, all he could think of was that he looked like he'd be more at home behind a desk than on any of the adventures he'd been trying to detail over the course of the past four hours. But no matter how many times he or Tsunade challenged his stories, the man simply held his ground and provided more details to them whenever he could.

All in all, Daniel was handling his encounter with the Hokage rather well. After all, Iruka had seen elite jonin break down under the direct scrutiny of the blond-haired woman. But this man seemed to have an unending amount of courage as he challenged his and Tsunade's assumptions time after time.

The silence was becoming unbearable, and just as the Hokage looked like she was about to speak, one of the many ANBU assigned to watching her appeared at her elbow. The mask showed him it was Badger, and the man bent down to whisper into Tsunade's ear. Each whispered word seemed to cause the Hokage more and more distress, and by the time Badger stood back up, her face was a mask of anger.

Daniel leaned toward him. _"What's going on?"_

He turned toward the man. _"I'm not quite sure, but it doesn't look like good news."_

She leaned forward with her chin propped up on her folded hands. When the Hokage spoke, her words were icy. _"Daniel Jackson, if you intend to not be treated as an enemy of Konoha, you must explain something to me."_

Iruka saw fear in the man's eyes, along with confusion, but he was impressed with how he managed to keep those emotions out of his voice. _"Of course, Hokage. I'll answer any questions you have."_

"_Then explain to me just why Kakashi's mind contains memories that are not his own?"_

"_How would you know that?"_

Iruka was confused by Daniel's answer. _"Are you saying that you already knew that Kakashi had these memories?"_

The man released a large sigh before leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees. _"If you can't believe me about visiting other planets, I somehow think that you're going to have an even harder time believing this one."_

Now Iruka's curiosity was piqued. What could possibly be more unbelievable than traipsing from planet to planet? He saw a spark of curiosity in the Hokage's eyes, and so he wasn't surprised when she spoke.

"_Why not let me be the judge of that. Now talk!"_

After another frustrated sigh, Daniel sat back and started his explanation. _"The memories in Kakashi's head belong to the parasitic life-form that tried to take him over while we were held captive on another world."_

Stunned silence followed those words. Had he really just said that a parasite's memories were in Kakashi's head? Seriously? The Hokage leaned back in her chair with her mouth gaping ever so slightly, and Badger had his arms crossed and his head tilting to one side.

Daniel's shoulders slumped. _"I told you that you wouldn't believe me."_

Badger surprised them all by disappearing from the room without being dismissed. But more surprising than that was when he reappeared moments later with Inoichi at his side. The blond-haired head of the Yamanaka clan bowed in respect to the Hokage before he fixed his gaze on Daniel.

"_You appear in many of Kakashi's memories from his time away from us. Most of them make no sense to me. I assume that you can explain them. Start by telling me the name of the parasite."_

"_Do you want the name of the race? Or the actual creature?"_

Inoichi narrowed his eyes at Daniel, and Iruka found himself very glad he was not the one being questioned. Thankfully, the man sitting next to him took the look for what it was meant to be...a command to tell all.

"_The race is known as the Goa'uld. But the creature who tried unsuccessfully to take over Kakashi's body was known as Monthu."_

Inoichi turned to face Tsunade. _"Hokage, these names match those in Kakashi's memories. I request to scan this man in order to expedite the Copy-ninja's recovery."_

Iruka felt Daniel's hand on his arm. _"Does he mean Kakashi?"_

He offered a small smile to the man. _"He does."_

"_And this scan thing he's talking about?"_

The smile slipped off his lips. _"I've never had one done on me, but anyone who has always says that you shouldn't fight it. Just open your mind to it and don't try to hide your thoughts."_

"_My thoughts? But Kakashi told me that you didn't have anything like the memory disc technology in your village."_

Iruka scratched at his scar. _"He didn't lie. Our methods are not based on technology. Inoichi will be linked to your mind using a jutsu that is only known by his clan."_

"_A jutsu? That deals with chakra, right?"_

"_That's right. Why?"_

"_Kakashi mentioned that I didn't really have much. Will that be a problem?"_

He chuckled at the man. _"Even those within the village who are not shinobi have some level of chakra, Daniel. It may not be utilized to the extent that mine or Inoichi's is, but it's there all the same."_

A deep sigh was followed by the man running his fingers through his hair. _"Do you think that after they're finished with this scan that I might be allowed to at least see Kakashi?"_

He'd been about to answer when Badger interrupted. _"You are to come with me."_

Iruka could plainly see Daniel's apprehension now, and he couldn't help but feel sorry for the man. After all, if the fantastical stories he'd been telling them were true, then he really had nothing to compare to Konoha and its people. He briefly wondered what it would be like if their positions were switched. Would Daniel's world treat him the same way? And would anyone there be willing to help him through it all?

"_May I go with them, Hokage?"_ The words left Iruka's mouth before his brain could stop them.

Tsunade looked at him with surprise clear in her eyes. _"What purpose would such a request serve, Umino?"_

He could feel the telltale flush of embarrassment color his cheeks, but he pushed on regardless. _"I just __thought it might go easier if someone was there to explain things that Daniel might not understand."_

He waited anxiously for her decision, and just when he thought she wouldn't give one, she waved her hand at him. _"Do want you want, Sensei. But if you get in Inoichi's way or otherwise cause problems for him, I won't go easy on you."_

He bowed to the woman, even as he felt a drop of sweat roll down the back of his neck. _"Yes, Hokage."_

With that settled, he followed Badger and Inoichi out of the makeshift office alongside Daniel. As they passed through the damaged hallways, Daniel whispered over to him.

"_I know that you didn't have to do that for me. Thank you, Iruka."_

He shrugged and smiled at him. _"Kakashi doesn't have too many friends. So I figured he'd appreciate someone watching out for you."_

Before Daniel could comment on that, they'd arrived at one of the intact patient rooms that had been rigged up to be used for surgeries and intensive care. Even though Iruka figured out that they would be doing the scan in the same room as Kakashi, he still wasn't prepared to see the jonin looking quite so vulnerable.

By the gasp at his side, it seemed that Daniel hadn't expected this either. The Copy-ninja's body had more tubes and wires sticking out of it than he'd ever seen before. Monitors were whirring and beeping all around him, and there was a team of medical ninja swarming around the bed, adjusting knobs, fiddling with wires, or changing a blood-soaked bandage for a clean one. Through it all, Kakashi didn't move a muscle.

A single metal chair was brought over to the side of the bed, and Inoichi motioned for Daniel to take a seat in it. It was only then that Iruka noticed a handful of others from the Yamanaka clan scattered throughout the room. A moment later, and three of them were positioned behind the man in the chair, while the rest were surrounding Kakashi's still body.

Iruka notice a look of panic cross Daniel's face when one of the Yamanaka placed their hands on top of his head. He caught Inoichi's attention by clearing his throat, hoping that he wasn't overstepping his boundaries already.

"_If it is all possible, would you please let Daniel know what to expect. He is not accustomed to jutsu the way the rest of us are, and I think this might go much quicker if you didn't send him into a panic attack."_

Inoichi frowned and shared a glance with the rest of his clan members within the room. A moment later and the man behind Daniel spoke in a very businesslike manner.

"_You will experience some pressure at your temples and behind your eyes while we attempt to sync your thoughts with mine. There is no risk of damage so long as you do not fight it. Once this process is finished, we will link to Inoichi, and through him, into the Copy-ninja's mind."_

With that, all those involved in the procedure ran through a series of hand signs and then placed their chakra-covered hands into position. A deep intake of breath from Daniel was the only outward sign that the process had begun, and now all Iruka could do was lean against the wall, watch, and wait.

* * *

Kakashi never was one to particularly enjoy having someone else traipsing around in his head. And that was only reinforced after his time with the Goa'uld. So when his mind felt the first tentative probes of another person's essence, his first instinct had been to throw them out without so much as a second thought. What he hadn't expected when he tried to do that, however, was that his attempt would be dodged so easily.

His heart raced as all the different possibilities ran through his brain. Was it one of the Goa'uld? Had Madara figured out a way to alter the hand-device even more? What exactly was going on this time?

A male voice that sounded rather familiar sank into his awareness, but strangely, its question was not directed to him.

"_He has many memories of this 'hand-device' that are impossible for me to get through. What is it that it holds such power over him?"_

"_It is a piece of Goa'uld technology that can only be used by people who have naqahdah in the blood. Sam would be able to explain it better, but all I can tell you for certain is that it sends energy into the body that can render you immobile even as it accesses your thoughts."_

Kakashi felt a wash of recognition and concentrated on the second voice in an attempt to communicate. _"Daniel? Is that you?"_

He felt surprise radiate into his mind. _"I don't understand. I didn't think Kakashi would know I was here?"_

"_He shouldn't be able to. But Kakashi has never played strictly by the rules, no matter how many times he has tried."_

Now he recognized the other voice. _"Inoichi...I thought that we agreed we'd stop meeting this way?"_

A quiet chuckle rippled through his mind. _"It would help if you would stop showing up on the verge of dying."_

"_Well, I know how much you enjoy a challenge. So what's got you all so nervous this time?"_

"_Your chakra network is showing signs of extreme distress. There are sections which have completely collapsed, and others that appear to be burned from the inside. Was this damage caused by the hand-device that the two of you have memories of?"_

"_Well, if we're going to puzzle this out, shouldn't we at lest be more comfortable? After all, I doubt that Daniel is used to such communication."_

Kakashi focused inward and drew forth a scene from his past in which the three of them could converse without being just disembodied voices in his head. He pushed down the sudden urge to put them at a hot spring, figuring Inoichi wouldn't tolerate his sense of humor, and instead created a rather good copy of the campfire he'd shared so recently with his dad.

Once the scene was set, he willed his avatar into existence and took a seat on one of the three split log benches surrounding the fire pit. A moment later and Inoichi wandered in, followed closely by Daniel. He was glad to see that the archaeologist was able to grasp this new method of communication so easily. Which made him think that the two of them likely had the same curse of the genius as they grew up.

Daniel smiled as he sat on a bench to the right of his. _"I never took you for the campfire type, Kakashi."_

Inoichi positioned himself on the remaining bench and rubbed behind his ear. _"I don't remember ever seeing this one before. What is it from?"_

Kakashi shifted his position so that he could recline on the bench with his arms under his head. _"My brush with death, actually." _He chuckled. _"When I heard the saying that you should go toward the light, I never imagined it was referring to a campfire."_

Daniel sighed, drawing his and Inoichi's attention. _"It's different every time, you know."_

Something in how the man had phrased it made it clear that this was just one more thing that the two of them had in common. _"How many times have you experienced it?"_

"_Too many to count, really. It's not something I like thinking about."_

Inoichi leaned forward. _"Can we return our discussion to your injuries, please. These connections aren't as easy as they once were. Especially when I bring along a non-shinobi mind."_

Kakashi turned his head until he could clearly see the man who'd helped him so many times in the past. There was an obvious look of strain on his face, even in this imagined meeting. _"The combination of Madara's dojutsu with mine managed to block pathways. Those that are burned on the inside are likely the ones which forced back open when I was on the receiving end of an energy gun back at the SGC."_

"_They shot you? On purpose? Were they trying to kill you?"_

Daniel shifted nervously on his bench. _"Technically it couldn't kill him. Well, not unless they shot him two times in a row."_

Inoichi's eyebrows raised at that enlightening statement. _"And you still think that these people are on your side?"_

Kakashi pushed himself back up to a seated position. _"We'll discuss my choice of friends once you fix me up, okay? Meanwhile, the pathways that are completely collapsed are probably the result of Madara's upgrades on the hand-device. Perhaps Tsunade can work with the Hyuuga to find some means of slowly forcing those collapsed areas back into shape?"_

A grin spread across Daniel's face. _"Of course! Similar to how a heart surgeon back home would __open up clogged arteries! That's brilliant!"_

He shrugged. _"Did you miss the memo about me being a genius? Besides, there's no guarantee that it will work."_

Inoichi sighed and stood. _"Daniel, do you know much about this heart surgeon technique you were talking about?"_

"_A little. I'm afraid that's not the kind of doctor that I am. But I'll work with anyone you want, if you think it means finding a way to help out."_

"_Good." _Inoichi turned back toward him. "_I'm afraid our time is up. But do me one favor while we are gone."_

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the man. "_What might that be?"_

"_If you see any more bright lights, try not to go near them, hmm?"_

After a moment of shock at the fact that the head of the Yamanaka clan just made a joke, Kakashi smirked. _"I'll do my best, Inoichi. But in return, please watch over Daniel and his friend. As you may or may not understand yet, they truly are from another world."_

Inoichi bowed his head. _"I'll do my best."_

With that, his visitors faded from view, leaving Kakashi alone with his thoughts. He sighed once and lay back on the bench, pausing just long enough to imagine up a copy of Icha Icha Violence. After all, nobody said he couldn't enjoy this time on his own.


	14. How To Torture A Genius

Chapter 14

How To Torture A Genius

Tsunade sat at her desk, reading over the twenty-six page report that Shikamaru Nara had put together after spending the day with Inoichi Yamanaka, Neji Hyuuga, and Daniel Jackson. Those pages went into a ridiculous amount of technical detail, but that was exactly why she'd assigned the task to Shikamaru in the first place. She didn't want to leave anything to chance when it came to trying an unknown technique on one of her best shinobi. And, truth be told, even with this level of detail, she still only had a thirty percent chance of being successful.

She ran the options through her mind one by one. If they used this method, and it worked, then Kakashi would be back to normal. If the method failed, he would likely be unable to perform ninety percent of the jutsu in his arsenal. But, if she did nothing at all, Kakashi would never survive being brought out of his coma.

Tsunade tossed the report onto the desk and sighed. Now, more than ever, she truly wished that Jiraiya was still alive. Her old teammate would have found some way to break the tension in the air over making this decision. Granted, he'd probably do so by making some comparison between Kakashi and the main character of whichever volume of Icha Icha he was working on at the time, but still, he'd help her figure out what would be best for both the Brat and Konoha.

She sighed again and rubbed at her temples with her fingertips. Putting off the decision would only make the percentage of success shrink with each passing hour, and she already didn't like the odds. Her mind made up, Tsunade stood and grabbed the folder as she crossed to the door.

"Shizune!"

The brunette poked her head around the doorway. "What do you need, Hokage?"

She smirked at how the younger woman continued to maintain her energy throughout everything that had passed in the last few months. "I need you to handle things out here while I'm working on the Brat. _No one_ is to interrupt me once I've started. Is that clear?"

Shizune frowned at her. "But the Elders are expecting you to brief them about Kakashi's status in an hour. And you still haven't finished authorizing the repair schedule that I left on your desk this morning."

Tsunade placed one hand on her aide's shoulder. "I already know that your can forge my signature, Shizune. So go ahead and authorize the repairs you think are for the best. Meanwhile, remind that pack of jackals that Kakashi won't _have_ a status if I delay this any longer."

"Pack of jackals...hmm...I think that's the best description that you've come up with so far for the Elders. Still, they may try to force their way in to see you."

Tsunade chuckled. "That would be why I plan to have the ANBU stationed throughout the building. If any of the Elders set foot near where we'll be, the standing order is to transport them to just outside the edge of the village and keep them there until I send word."

Shizune covered her mouth while her eyes went wide. "You can't be serious!"

One of her personal ANBU chose that very moment to appear at her elbow. "No one will disturb your work on Kakashi-senpai, Hokage."

"Right. I guess that's my cue to get this thing started." Tsunade moved to leave, but stopped when Shizune put a hand on her wrist.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather have me call for Sakura?"

Tsunade glared at the woman. "Listen...nobody knows that Brat's chakra system better than I do." She softened her gaze before continuing. "Besides, if things do go wrong, I sure as hell don't want that girl bearing the blame for Kakashi's death."

Shizune's eyes became glassy with tears, but she managed to put a smile on her lips all the same. "I understand. I never should have doubted you, Hokage."

Tsunade shrugged. "It's why I keep you around, kid. You keep me honest."

With that, she headed down the hall towards where she knew all the others were waiting for her. The time for doubts was gone, and now her focus needed to return to only one thing...saving the Brat's life one last time.

* * *

Shikamaru walked through the halls of the Hospital with his hands shoved deep in his pockets and his shoulders slumped in defeat. He didn't understand why he'd been assigned this ridiculous task when he would be been better used in the room where the others were working on Kakashi-sensei.

He paused in his walk to look out the gaping hole in the wall towards where a thin wisp of cloud traveled through the dark blue sky. Okay, so he actually _did_ understand the decision. He was the only one in the village that had any chance of learning to speak in Daniel's native tongue in the short amount of time that he'd been given. But still, he didn't like not being in the room when the Hokage was going to try a new technique based on his own analysis.

The sound of raised voices from down the hall brought him out of his musings and back to reality. He sighed and shoved his fists a bit farther into his pockets. With each step, he ran the various sentences and words that he'd learned from Daniel through his mind. He could only hope that this man he was about to meet wasn't too troublesome.

He'd only made it half way down the hall before a chair came sailing through a door and crashed against the wall. Shikamaru shook his head. _"Definitely troublesome."_

By the time he'd made it to that room, an older man was being held against the far wall by one of the ANBU assigned to watch over him. A string of words Daniel hadn't taught him yet were being spoken at such a volume that it was obvious to Shikamaru that they had to be curse words. Of course, they had no effect at all against the masked ANBU.

Upon his arrival, the man was released from the uncomfortable position and the ANBU returned to their posts at the door. The man spun on his heel, looking like he was ready for a fight, but the moment he set eyes on Shikamaru he stopped and looked rather confused.

"Who the hell are you?"

Shikamaru smirked. Daniel had called it correctly when he'd predicted that those very words would be the first ones uttered at him. His mind was already working to find the proper response.

"I am Shikamaru Nara. Daniel sented me." He frowned. That wasn't quite right. "Ah...Daniel _sent_ me to help you, Jack_."_

We watched a series of emotions play across the man's face. "Where is he? Is he safe?"

Once again, Daniel had guessed his companion's reaction correctly. Shikamaru pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the man. He watched as the paper was unfolded and its contents were read.

"Okay. So Danny says you're my new babysitter. What now?"

Shikamaru didn't quite understand everything the man said, but 'babysitter' was definitely one of the words Daniel had explained. "Are you hungry?"

Jack's stomach answered him long before the words could make it out of his mouth. "Guess that's a yes. I don't suppose you've got steak around here?"

Shikamaru resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead he headed toward the door, pausing to look back over his shoulder. "We have Bar-b-que. Are you coming?"

The look of shock on Jack's face was quickly followed by a wide grin. "Now you're talking, kid. Lead the way!"

Crow stepped into his path before he could leave the room. _"He cannot leave."_

Shikamaru sighed and handed a small scroll to the ANBU. He knew it contained orders from the Hokage which would allow him to take the man on a limited tour of Konoha. Just as he knew it reassigned Crow to stay with them throughout the trip. The other ANBU was being added to the detail protecting the room where the others were working on Kakashi-sensei.

He knew that Crow didn't particularly like the mission, but he was ANBU, so he really couldn't argue against it. The other ANBU took the scroll and read it before vanishing in a puff of smoke. Once Jack was at his side, Crow stepped out of the way and took up position behind them. Thankfully, as they started their journey, Jack was too busy taking in the views of the partially rebuilt village to talk too much to him.

By the time they had reached the food district, the man finally seemed to find his voice. "This Madara character did all of this?"

Shikamaru sighed. "Not all. But he led those that did this."

The man shook his head. "What a waste."

He shrugged. "It could have been worse. Many survived."

Jack stopped walking and just stared at him for a good minute before speaking again. "How old are you, kid?"

Shikamaru rubbed at the back of his neck, trying not to be annoyed by the question. After all, Daniel had told him about the fact that Jack would find it hard to fathom that anyone under the age of thirty could do anything of value.

"I am old enough."

"What the hell kind of answer is that?"

He placed his hand back into his pocket and shrugged. "A good one. We are almost there. Please follow."

With that, he starting walking once more. Thankfully, Jack fell back into step beside him. "This is one screwed up place."

Shikamaru smirked. "Perhaps. But it is home."

They arrived at the Bar-B-Que a few minutes later, and once he settled them into a booth, he leaned back and studied the man in front of him. He definitely was older than him, or any of his friends. He seemed likely to be closer to his father's age than someone like Kakashi or Iruka-sensei. But he didn't seem to have anywhere near the wisdom that those of his father's age group held.

His assessment was proven true a moment later when the server came over for their order and set a pair of chopsticks in front of the man. Jack stared at them and frowned before picking one up in each hand.

"You don't seriously think I'm gonna use these, right?"

Shikamaru sighed. Daniel had gone into great detail about some of this man's hang-ups. He'd truly thought it had been exaggerated to him, but seeing the look of utter frustration and annoyance on Jack's face made it clear that, if anything, Daniel had held back some.

When the server returned a moment later with a platter of sliced vegetables and portions of meat, he discreetly asked for them to bring a fork, along with two bottles of saké. He figured he'd need it if he was to remain civil with this strange man.

"She will bring the fork soon."

Jack nodded his thanks and leaned back. He was eying the selections on the platter with a frown.

"What is wrong?"

The older man met his eyes. "Is that yours, or mine?"

Shikamaru did roll his eyes this time. Just his luck to be saddled with someone with Choji's appetite. Luckily, Tsunade was financing this meal. He pushed the platter toward the man with a sigh. "I'll order more."

A grin spread across the man's face, making him look a tiny bit younger. The server returned with the fork and saké, and once he'd shown Jack how to grill his own food, he poured them each a cup, and then he leaned back to watch the other as he ate.

Between bites, Jack decided to quiz him. "So, how'd you get stuck babysitting? Did you pull the short straw?"

He sipped at his drink before answering. "Daniel knew you'd be hungry for real food. I was able to learn enough to speak to you." He shrugged. "It's a drag, but it made sense."

Jack shook his head. "Great, another brainiac. Just what I needed."

"Brainiac?"

"Don't worry about it, kid. I'm just saying that you learn fast."

Shikamaru figured that it meant more than that, considering the tone that was used, but he really couldn't be bothered with that right now. Not when his mind kept going back to to Kakashi-sensei, and the fact that the man was far too close to death again for his comfort.

He kept running that last battle over and over in his mind. He'd analyzed every decision made, and every possible variation to what had gone down. But no matter what path he took, it inevitably led to a final showdown between Kakashi-sensei and the two remaining sharingan wielders.

"Hey, kid. Wake up. Your food's here."

Shikamaru blinked to clear his eyes, wondering how long he'd spaced out. A quick glance at Jack's empty platter gave him a good idea that it had been longer than he'd planned. He placed a selection of vegetables onto his side of the grill before pushing the platter towards his charge.

"Still hungry?"

Jack's eyes slid between the proffered food and Shikamaru's face. "You sure about that? You haven't had much."

"It's a drag, but I have to eat again once I go home."

Jack laughed at him. "Your girl making you dinner?"

Shikamaru stared wide-eyed at the man. "Are you crazy? Girls are to much of a drag."

"Then who the heck is cooking for you?"

He leaned back and put his arms behind his head. "My mother expects me to eat her food."

A look of shock settled on Jack's face. "You still live with your _parents_?"

He shrugged. "I get free meals, clean clothes, and don't worry about my things when on missions."

The man chuckled at that, even as he placed more food on the grill. "Like I said before, kid...you're a definite brainiac."

* * *

Daniel glanced at his wristwatch. Twelve hours. They'd already been at this for twelve hours and fatigue was pulling at every member of the team. As if to drive that point home, he watched The Hokage try to stifle a yawn. But they were so close to being finished that no one complained when the woman urged them on.

According to the last update that he and Iruka had received from Neji, all that remained to be done was one final blocked branch of Kakashi's chakra network. He still couldn't quite believe their luck when the shinobi were able to use his ideas from a heart procedure back home and came up with a viable facsimile to use in this scenario. But, just like at home, they couldn't count this as a victory unless every blocked channel was cleared. Only then would Kakashi be able to function properly as a shinobi.

Daniel had been so deep in thought that he would have missed the end of the procedure entirely if Iruka's concerned voice hadn't cued him in.

"_Did it work, Hokage?"_

A heavy sigh drew his attention toward where Neji, Inoichi, and the Hokage were all leaning back from the hospital bed. Inoichi's blond hair was plastered to his forehead with sweat, while Neji looked as though he were suffering from a sever headache. But it was the look of sheer exhaustion on the Hokage's face that brought it all home to Daniel. The woman looked as though a feather could have knocked her over.

Just as that thought passed through his mind,he saw her reach out toward the bed to steady herself. Daniel gasped when her hand missed its target, and she started to tumble toward the floor. He'd only just pushed himself to standing when her descent was stopped when two of the ANBU caught her under her arms and guided her gently into the nearest chair.

Iruka was at her side next, offering her a much needed glass of water. Daniel walked over to join them, his concern over the woman's health temporarily pushing aside his worries for Kakashi. Her golden eyes seemed a touch duller, and for the first time since he'd met the woman, she looked much closer to the age that Iruka had told him she was.

"_Stop looking at me like I'm going to die, Umino!" _She turned toward him next. _"You too, Daniel. It'll take more than that to finish me off."_

Daniel smiled at her, glad to see that she still had enough energy to chastise them. He spared a glance toward where Kakashi still lay motionless in the bed before turning back to face the woman with a frown.

"_Didn't it work?"_

She sighed and took another sip of water before looking toward the silver-haired man herself. _"I'm pretty sure that it did. All that's left is a final check on his network by Neji's cousin to make sure that we didn't miss anything."_

"_His cousin?"_

The dark-haired boy walked over to join them. _"I am afraid that I do not have enough stamina left to make a thorough check. But Hinata will be able to easily perform the task."_ He directed his next words to the Hokage. _ "The ANBU have been sent to bring her."_

She chuckled. _"That shouldn't take long. All that they need to do is find Naruto."_

Daniel couldn't help but notice the frown on Neji's face, and wondered just who Naruto was. But before he could ask anyone about that, the ANBU arrived with two teenagers in tow. The first was a shy, dark-haired girl with a light blush dusting her pale cheeks. Even without seeing her strange, almost colorless eyes, it was easy to see the resemblance she bore with Neji.

The other teen was the complete opposite of the girl. From his bright yellow hair and even brighter blue eyes, to his obvious bubbling energy, it was suddenly clear to Daniel just why Neji disapproved of the two being an item. And by the way Hinata stole looks at the energetic teen, anyone could tell that they were, indeed, an item. One more reason for the Hyuuga's obvious disdain for Naruto was evident when the boy didn't bother with any of the formalities that Daniel had been witness to throughout the day from Neji.

"_Why's Kakashi-sensei still knocked out?"_ He stood in front of the Hokage with his fists on his hips. _"Did you mess things up, Granny-Tsunade?"_

Daniel held back a laugh as the blond-haired boy basically confirmed his assumptions. Meanwhile, Iruka leaned over and whacked the back of the boy's head.

"_Show some respect, Naruto! The Hokage has been working nonstop on him."_

"_Then why isn't Kakashi-sensei awake yet?" _ He rubbed against the back of his head. _"And I thought you promised to stop _doing_ that, Iruka-sensei."_

The man beside him sighed dramatically. _"And _I_ thought you had agreed to stop disrespecting the Hokage."_

The two glared at each other for a few moments before Hinata tugged on the boy's jacket. _"Naruto, I'd already told you that they needed me to check Kakashi-sensei's chakra pathways before waking him."_

At her softly spoken words, Naruto stopped glaring at Iruka and turned his focus back to the Hokage. _"So then it worked?"_

While Iruka, Naruto and the Hokage continued their conversation, Daniel turned his attention to the young woman who'd so deftly ended the stare down. _"I'm pleased to meet you, Hinata. I'm Daniel Jackson, and I'm glad that you will be helping Kakashi."_

The blush on her cheeks grew a tiny bit darker. _"Are you a friend of Kakashi-sensei's?"_

He smiled at her. _"I'd like to think so. Do you need anything before you start your scan?"_

"_I...I don't think so. Just...please keep Naruto from interrupting."_ She gazed back toward where the boy was arguing animatedly with Iruka again. _"He may not show it, but he really is scared that Kakashi-sensei won't wake up. And I don't want to disappoint him."_

Daniel followed her gaze. _"I'm sure you won't disappoint him, Hinata. After all, your cousin said that you could perform this task easily."_

A look that could only be described as shock crossed her face. _"Neji said that?"_

He nodded at her. _"He seemed very sure of it."_

A grin lit her face up, and she seemed to stand a bit straighter. _"I'll get started then. Would you stand with me?"_

"_Me? Shouldn't one of the others do that?"_

She shook her head. _"You are his friend. Kakashi-sensei doesn't have many of those"_

Daniel followed Hinata to Kakashi's bed and stood silent vigil as she activated her gift and began a thorough scan of every chakra branch within the shinobi's body.

* * *

It had taken Sasuke far longer to regain his calm than he'd expected after having Madara forbid him from finishing off Kakashi. What right did that man have to stop him from dealing out his justice? When he'd been brought back from the dead, it had been with the single burning desire to get revenge. Surely Madara could understand that need.

A cruel smile pulled at Sasuke's lips. If he couldn't make the older Uchiha see his point, then perhaps it was time for him to be put in his place. After all, _he_ was the future of the Uchiha clan...and Madara would just need to accept that.

His resolve set, Sasuke walked confidently back into the area where the prisoners were being held. But when he got there, he frowned at what he saw. Or more to the point, what he _didn't_ see. None of the three captives were there. The crumpled form of Madara was where he'd left Daniel Jackson, and by the strands of chakra wire scattered throughout the area it was clear that the three had somehow escaped.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. Had he truly misjudged those with Kakashi that much? He frowned at that thought. No. Neither of those men bore the slightest bit of chakra, and his former sensei was unable to safely access any of his. Whatever had happened here, it did not include those three breaking free on their own. Which left him with Madara.

He walked closer to where the man was only now starting to move, and wondered once more just what the hell had happened while he was gone. When Madara lifted his head enough for Sasuke to see his eyes, what he saw was the telltale glow of the Goa'uld that had tried to take over the man's body. Another second passed and that glow faded from sight. The look of utter hatred on the man's face made it clear that Madara was once more in control.

Sasuke peered at him with uneasiness. _"I thought that you had said your battle with that creature had been settled."_

Madara stood up slowly and turned his mismatched eyes toward him. _"It was...until it decided that Daniel Jackson was worth attempting to take control once more."_

"_And is the battle finished?"_

A sharp laugh left the man's throat. _"For now, yes. But I believe the time has come for us to find some way of removing this beast from my body. Only then will I feel confident that our endgame can proceed."_

Sasuke crossed his arms. _"And does that endgame include Kakashi Hatake's death?"_

Madara glared at him. _"Of course it does, boy!"_

"_Then perhaps you can share with me just exactly where the man and his little friends are?"_

The man stretched his arms above his head and worked his kinks out while he responded. _"I can not risk Rāvana using Hatake against us, and I will not allow him to destroy Doctor Jackson until we've finished with him."_

"_What do I care about some annoying civilian?"_

"_That 'annoying civilian' holds knowledge that every Goa'uld we've encountered so far seems more than eager to obtain. As such, gaining that knowledge for ourselves will enable us to rule over much more than just the Five Great Countries."_

Sasuke turned away from him. _"I don't care about ruling over any of them. I plan to destroy Kakashi, and then I'll wipe out Konoha once and for all."_

Madara's fingers guided Sasuke's face back to the front. _"I sometimes forget that you are still so young. You need to learn to look beyond your ridiculous desire for revenge."_

"_Gladly. Right after I've pulled the last breath from the shinobi of Konoha...starting with Kakashi Hatake."_

The exaggerated sigh from Madara's lips made Sasuke frown. _"Fine. As soon as I rid myself of this parasite, I will help you destroy Konoha. Then, my dear boy, we will rebuild our clan in _both_ worlds!"_

Sasuke couldn't keep a satisfied grin off his face. Soon he would have everything that he'd been striving for. And when that finally happened, there would be _nothing_ that he couldn't achieve!

* * *

Kakashi's eyelids didn't want to respond to his attempts to open them at first, but eventually he managed to pull them apart. Of course, once he did, it didn't really help him much, as his vision was so blurry that he still couldn't exactly see. A frustrated sigh crept out of his throat.

"_Hey there. Welcome back to the land of living, Kakashi." _ Daniel's voice pulled his attention away from his disappointment, and he blinked his lids in an attempt to clear his vision.

When he focused on the spot where he'd heard the voice he was confronted by the blurry outline of the man he'd met on another world. He pushed his words through a throat that was dry from disuse. _"Are you okay?"_

Laughter surrounded him, making it clear that there were far more people nearby than just Daniel. He struggled to sit up, but the movement was stopped by two hands that guided him back onto his pillow.

"_Stop worrying about everybody else and sit still, Brat!"_

"_Mah, Hokage, be gentle."_

"_Keep it up, Hatake, and I'll put you back into the coma."_ Even though her words were harsh, the tone of the Hokage's voice showed him just how glad she was that he had woken up.

He remained still while her chakra-covered hands moved from one part of him to another. There was something to be said for having the Hokage in charge of his care. Her skilled hands managed to locate and heal his every ache, and by the time it was all over, his vision was nearly back to normal. So when he turned his head to thank the woman, he was a bit surprised when it was pink hair that came into view, rather than the blond pigtails he was expecting. Had Sakura truly advanced so far that her chakra control and signature were now so close to Tsunade's?

A light blush colored his former student's cheeks as she helped him to sit up in the bed. _"Are there any areas that are still causing you discomfort, Kakashi-sensei?"_

"_I'm fine, Sakura."_ He smiled at her and that blush deepened. _"Just feeling a bit exposed, is all."_

"_Well, Sensei, I don't think any of us would have guessed that you wore the mask to make yourself look older. I mean, really, you could pass for somebody much younger than you are."_

Her babbling made him chuckle, until the words sank in, that is. _"Hey! Just how old do you think I am!"_

Iruka's voice kept Sakura from needing to respond to his query. _"Don't worry, Kakashi. I've come to save the day, if not your dignity."_

With that, the man presented him with a fresh shirt and mask combo. His fingers slid over the familiar material and he couldn't help letting a small sigh of relief before slipping the item over his head with practiced ease. Once the material settled into place, he felt a thousand percent more like himself.

"_Thank you, Iruka-sensei. I think I needed that more than anything!"_

Kakashi glanced around to see who else he was going to need to take grief from about his unmasked face, and was surprised to see Naruto was among the crowd. The boy was being exceptionally quiet, and he wondered just what had gotten into the usually boisterous kid. He motioned for him to come closer, and after Naruto gave a quick glance to Tsunade, he shuffled to the edge of the bed.

"_What's got you so quiet, Naruto?"_

Those bright blue eyes that still, to this day, reminded him so much of his own sensei, seemed clouded over. _"Is it true, Kakashi-sensei?"_

He frowned. _"I'm not a Yamanaka, Naruto. Is _what_ true?"_

"_Is Sasuke really still alive? After all, Sakura was pretty sure that you'd...you know...killed him."_

Everyone in the room, aside from Daniel, seemed to tense at the question. Kakashi ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to come up with some way to explain things. _"Naruto, I did kill Sasuke. But the place where we went has technology that was unlike anything I've ever seen. It could mend a body even when it was at the point of death. He was brought back using such a machine."_

Naruto looked away for a moment before returning a much steadier gaze to lock with his own. A small smile tugged at the boy's lips. _"Then I'm glad that you went to that other place, Kakashi-sensei."_

He scratched at the back of his neck. _"Why would you say that, Naruto?"_

"_Because it means I'll have one more chance to smack some sense into the idiot." _ Naruto's lips turned up into a full-fledged smile.

Kakashi shook his head at him. _"Naruto, I don't want you to think that Sasuke is any more willing to listen to you now than he was back when we'd met him last time. If anything, he's even more closed off."_

Naruto's smile remained, but his eyes held a sureness that he'd never seen in them before. _"Don't worry, Sensei. If it comes to that, I know what I'll need to do. But it will be on my terms...not his."_

Now that surprised him. He knew Naruto was growing up, but the maturity he'd just witnessed went far beyond the boy's years. He'd need to set that puzzle aside for now. He caught Daniel's gaze.

"_Are they treating you alright? And just what did they do with Colonel O'Neill?"_

Now Tsunade stepped closer, and he was able to see the tiredness in her features. _"Of course we're treating him alright, Brat! And I'll have you know that the Colonel is in very good hands right now."_

He narrowed his eyes. _"Whose hands? Ibiki's?"_

Daniel laughed at that, making it clear that he already knew just who Ibiki Morino was, and that made Kakashi wonder if the archaeologist had already been interrogated. But somehow he doubted it would be a laugh that made it out of the man's lips if he truly had met Ibiki in the professional aspect.

Tsunade smirked before sharing the inside joke. _"I've assigned Shikamaru Nara to the Colonel's care. The last report I had was that he was sharing Barb-B-Que with him in the residential district."_

Now Kakashi was laughing as well. _"What did the kid do wrong to deserve that particular joy? Did he hide your saké again, Hokage?"_

"_Nothing like that...or he'd be doing something far less pleasant. He simply showed the ability to learn Daniel's language quicker than the rest of us."_

"_Ah, yes. The 'curse of the genius.' I know it well."_

He watched Tsunade roll her eyes before addressing him again. _"Well then, Genius, I imagine you know what comes next?"_

He sighed. _"Yes, Hokage. Time to prove to you that all your hard work paid off, right?"_

She smiled. _"Right you are! But lets start slow. No Chidori quite yet."_

Kakashi flinched at the mention of the technique that had very nearly ended his own life such a short time ago. But if anyone noticed it, they didn't mention it. So, he settled more comfortably onto the bed and ran through the most basic of chakra skills under the watchful gazes of Tsunade, Iruka, Neji, and Hinata. Through it all, he continued to think about the two Uchiha that they'd somehow managed to escape from.

He was fairly confident that it had never been Madara's intention to send them back to Konoha, and that led him to wonder just how they'd ended up here. But, he would wait to find those answers until he was finished confirming that his chakra system was back to fighting form. Because, if there was one thing that he was absolutely sure of, it was the fact that he hadn't seen the last of Madara and Sasuke Uchiha. And that he'd need to be in top form when they finally did cross paths again, or more than just his own life would be at stake.

He spared a glance toward where Daniel was watching him work through his chakra exercises with undisguised awe. He hoped that they'd manage to find some way of getting Daniel and the Colonel home long before that final battle with the Uchiha would take place. But, considering the archaeologist seemed to have worse luck than even he did, he knew that would be a long-shot at best. Which gave him that much more need for himself to be ready when that encounter came.

He turned his full concentration back to the chakra exercises, eager to make sure nothing was left to chance when that final battle came at last.


	15. Hopes Abound

Chapter 15

Hopes Abound

Kakashi sat across the table from Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, and Choza Akimichi and he couldn't help but feel like he was nine years old again. They were staring at him with the exact same looks of expectation that had been on their faces just before his first official mission using his nin-hounds. Back then, it had been a ploy of the Elders to send him out with his Father's original genin team in order to throw him off his game. But that plan had backfired when he had managed to pass their test with flying colors, earning his hounds their headbands, and himself the reputation as one of the best infiltrators and trackers in Konoha.

Now, he was faced once more by the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho trio, this time on the Fifth Hokage's orders. She had determined that the only true way to judge if Kakashi had regained full use of his chakra system was to put him to task against the best of the best in a series of skill tests, starting with the three seated before him. He rubbed at the back of his neck and sighed.

"_Am I the only one here feeling a sense of deja-vu?"_

The serious look on Choza's face nearly made him smirk. _"You know, Kakashi, that we will not hold back with you."_

He shrugged. _"I didn't think for a moment that you would."_

Inoichi leaned forward with his palms flat against the table. _"Don't take this lightly, Kakashi. If you fail this test it will mean that your life will change forever."_

He chuckled darkly at that. _"You've been in my head, Inoichi. You know, firsthand, that my life has already been changed forever. All we are doing today is making sure that my bag of tricks is still available for Konoha's use."_

Inoichi's lips pressed together in a way that spoke volumes for just how upset he was with what he'd just heard. Meanwhile, Shikaku scratched at one of the scars crisscrossing his face as he leaned his chair until he was balancing on the back legs. The man's dark eyes narrowed as he looked at Kakashi from across the table.

"_Could it be that you fear the results of this test, Kakashi?"_

He wanted nothing more than to be able to laugh off Shikaku's question, but in reality, the man had hit the nail on the head. He let out a long, slow breath before pushing himself up to standing.

"_What I fear, or don't fear, shouldn't matter." _He shoved his hands into his pockets and starting walking toward the door, pausing just as he was about to leave. _"Why don't we use Training Field 1A? I'll meet you there at 1300 hours."_

Inoichi's voice reached him as he started walking again. _"That is fine, Kakashi. We will meet you there at the designated time."_

He continued out the door and into the streets of the Village wondering to himself if he'd have time to visit the Memorial before his test. Of course, even before that thought had fully formed in his mind, his feet had already taken him in that direction. And it was only moments before he had stepped into the clearing that held the dark stone. But there was already someone standing before the monolith, reaching out to run their fingertips along one name or another. Just when Kakashi figured that he'd give this lone mourner their privacy, the man turned toward him with a frown on his face.

That expression quickly changed to a smile when their eyes met, and in that instant, he realized it had been Daniel standing there. The man was currently wearing a combination of shinobi gear and civilian, and it amazed Kakashi at how quickly he had acclimated to life in Konoha. He gave him a two-fingered wave and crossed the remaining distance to stand beside him.

"_What brings you to the Memorial, Daniel?"_

"_Actually, I was looking for you."_

Kakashi scratched at the back of his neck, ever conscious of the scar which even Tsunade had been unable to remove. _"What made you think to look here? Am I truly that morose these days?"_

Daniel shook his head and motioned toward the nearby trees with his thumb. _"Nothing quite that dramatic. Crow told me that you often came here in the past to think. So I figured that it was worth the chance."_

He crossed his arms and glared toward the treeline. _"Crow needs to learn to keep his mouth shut, like a good little ANBU."_

Now Daniel looked a bit uncomfortable. _"If it makes you feel any better, Kakashi, I had to trick him out of the information."_

He raised his eyebrows at that. _"_You_ tricked an ANBU Captain into divulging private information on me? I'm starting to understand just why the Goa'uld fear you so much."_

That put a frown back on the archaeologist's face. _" I wouldn't say fear...it's more like...annoy."_

"_Hmm, right. I'm sure that annoyance explains away everything we've been through." _ Kakashi ignored the pained expression on Daniel's face and moved closer to the Memorial stone with a sigh. _"Sorry about that. I guess I'm more on edge than I thought."_

Without waiting for a response, Kakashi closed his eyes and bowed deeply in front of the stone. He quietly ran through the traditional prayers for the dead, and by the time he was finished, his mind had calmed. He opened his eyes and slowly scanned the characters of each and every name that was etched into the dark surface, starting from the bottom. Some he'd never met, but most were known to him. His gaze lingered over the names of the last Team Minato. Obito, whose greatest gift to him went far beyond the sharingan eye he'd been offered so selflessly; Rin, whose calming effect on him wasn't truly appreciated until she was gone; Minato-sensei, who was forever forgiving him for his many social flaws, and who had seemed determined to make sure that he had never felt alone.

But the familiar names didn't stop there. As his gaze continued up the stone's surface, he was able to put a face to every single shinobi listed. And as he got closer to the top, he was finally able to see just who hadn't made it back from that last battle. Each character carved into the smooth surface may as well have been carved into his heart. After all, these were the names of the most recent people that he had failed to keep safe.

His concentration on those many names was so complete, that when Daniel's fingers came into view to block the next row of characters, he'd very nearly went on the attack. Thankfully the man's quiet voice was enough to bring him back to reality.

"_I'd thought that you were kidding with me when you said that your Village would think that you were dead. But here's the proof right in front of us."_

Kakashi frowned as he watched Daniel's fingers trace over his name. Up until now, he had deliberately avoided looking for those deeply etched characters. Not that he was superstitious...no, it was simply that it would remind him, all too clearly, of the battle that had resulted in all the names listed directly below his to be carved there in the first place.

Still, as Daniel's fingertips passed over his name, he couldn't help but notice the slight discoloration from what could only have been blood that had settled into one of the characters. He found it oddly reassuring, as he knew from experience that it meant that someone in this Village may have actually thought enough of him to visit once he was thought to be dead.

He smirked at the memory of the first time that the edges of Obito's freshly cut name sliced into his own finger when he had pressed just that tiny bit too hard. He'd stood there, yelling at Obito for how he could still manage to cause trouble for him even after his death.

"_Kakashi? Are you okay?"_

Once more, Daniel's voice grounded him to the present, and he shoved his hands deep into his pockets before turning to fully face the man. _"Why were you looking for me, Daniel?"_

"_Right. Well, actually, I was hoping that you could arrange for me and Jack to do some exploring in the neighboring Shinobi Villages."_

* * *

Daniel saw a dangerous edge appear in Kakashi's exposed eye at his request, so he wasn't terribly surprised at the next words out of the man's mouth.

"_And why, exactly, would I want to do that?"_

He sighed. _"Because, as much as you had wanted to get back to Konoha, we want to get back to our own world. And, considering there's no records of your village ever discovering a DHD, Stargate, or even a dimensional mirror, the only chance we have is to see if perhaps they are located in another village."_

The only sign that the jonin had heard him was the slight rising of one silver eyebrow. Without another word, Kakashi turned away from him and started walking back toward the main village. Daniel ran his hands through his hair, and shook his head at his own stupidity. He should have found a better way to make that request. But the idea of being somewhere other than the SGC while his friends were in harms way just sat wrong with him.

His shoulders sagged as he followed the silent man, muttering to himself as he went. "Just brilliant, Daniel. Make him feel like you hate it here. Way to go."

"He does not think that you hate it here."

Daniel jumped at the thickly accented English words spoken in his ear. Kakashi was still walking in front of him, so it surely wasn't him...unless he was using one of those clones again. But the voice sounded somewhat muffled, and was a much lower pitch. He stopped walking and turned to see just who had spoken.

Beside him stood one of the ANBU, but the markings on their mask didn't match any of those that he'd met up to this point, and his height was much taller than any he'd seen. In fact, he needed to tip his head back a bit before he could look into the eye holes. The pattern covering the white porcelain looked far more fierce than any of the others, too.

"Then why did he just walk off?"

A low rumble in the man's chest almost sounded like a laugh, and he reverted back to his own language to reply. _"If he was upset with you, he would have taken to the trees, not walked on the ground at a pace which would allow you to follow."_

Daniel glanced back toward where Kakashi was now leaning against a tree, obviously waiting for them. _"It looks like you're right about that. Although I suppose that shouldn't surprise me. You are ANBU, after all."_

"_The mask does not make us omnipotent, Daniel."_

He sighed once more. _"I suppose not. But if that isn't the case, then it must be that you've known Kakashi for quite some time."_

His comment was met with an icy silence, and for a moment he had thought he'd crossed some unseen line again. The tension broke when Kakashi appeared next to him, his masked face barely visible behind the bright green cover of the book he was reading.

"_Wolverine, stop intimidating him. I'm sure you can find someone in T&I who would appreciate your attention more than Daniel does."_

A low growl came from behind the mask. _"It's my mission, Hatake."_

The book was lowered just enough for Kakashi to reveal an amused look in his eye. _"Your mission is to abuse a visitor to our Village? Have things changed so much during my absence?"_

The ANBU made no outward sign of his anger at Kakashi's words, but Daniel would have sworn that the air around them chilled a good ten degrees. Of course, this only seemed to amuse his friend more.

"_I'll escort Daniel back to the Village from here, Wolverine."_

A few more tense moments passed by, and finally the ANBU bowed his head in acceptance, just before he'd disappeared with barely a disturbance in the air. Daniel scratched at the back of his neck and turned his attention toward Kakashi.

"_Does Wolverine always follow your orders?"_

The jonin shrugged. _"I outrank him."_

"_But he's ANBU."_

"_Yup."_

His mind went a thousand miles a minute at this latest revelation. But before he allowed himself to get too wrapped up in his thoughts, he returned to his original question, determined to get an actual answer out of the man.

"_Kakashi, I really do need to visit those other areas."_

Again, the barely visible eyebrow arched before disappearing behind the book once more. _"No."_

"_You're joking, right?"_

Now the book was snapped shut and returned to Kakashi's pouch. The jonin shook his head ever so slightly at him. _"Daniel, what you are asking isn't a simple thing. We can't just go traipsing from village to village. It doesn't work that way."_

He frowned at the man. "_I thought Konoha was part of the Shinobi Alliance. Doesn't that allow for just this type of thing?"_

"_The Alliance only lasted as long as the war did."_

Daniel's eyes went wide at the comment, and his heart sped up at the implications. _"But its not over! Don't they realize that Madara and Sasuke, not to mention the entire Goa'uld population, may still attack?"_

Kakashi rubbed at the back of his neck, reminding him of the fact that the Goa'uld were likely never far from the jonin's mind. _"Without physical proof in _this_ dimension, the Hokage's hands are tied. And before you ask, your presence here will do nothing to convince the other Kage of the danger. To them, you are nothing more than a civilian."_

"_Great. That is going to make checking for a Stargate, or anything else, that much harder."_

He could just catch the smirk through Kakashi's mask. _"Tired of our hospitality so soon? How will I break the news to the Hokage?"_

He glared at the man. _"Sometimes you are worse than Jack."_

Kakashi's eye curved in obvious amusement. _"I try."_

The two of them started walking toward the village once more. Kakashi pulled his book back out, leaving Daniel alone with his thoughts. Which, of course, meant that he was able to run his recent conversation with the ANBU through his mind until he returned to something that had originally caught his curiosity. Once he had his thoughts in order he stopped walking, which caused Kakashi to stop as well and cast him a questioning gaze.

Daniel took a quick glance around to see if he could spot any of the ANBU who were assigned to follow him and Jack, but that was a bit like trying to find a needle in a haystack...impossible. So he leaned in close to Kakashi and spoke in English in the hope that, even if he was overheard by the target of his query, it wouldn't be as easily understood.

"Is Wolverine who I think he is?"

Again, Kakashi looked at him with that raised eyebrow, and he couldn't help wondering if the other brow under the headband was raised too. But then the man's visible dark eye narrowed at him, and Daniel had a feeling he was being judged. In truth, it made him more than a bit nervous.

"I suppose that it depends on who you might think he is."

Daniel scanned the nearby trees once more before returning his focus to Kakashi. "If I say his name he'll hear me, won't he?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Right." He took a small pad of paper and a pen out of his pocket and scribbled the name that he remembered the Hokage and Iruka mentioning when he'd been threatened with the T&I unit. "That's him, right?"

Kakashi chuckled. "You really don't like the unknown, do you?"

He put the pad and pen away. "I'm an archaeologist. It pretty much comes with the job."

"I can understand that, but please remember, that in the life of a shinobi, the unknown is all that stands between us and death more often than not."

Daniel had to admit that he hadn't thought of it that way. He was so used to viewing everything around him as a puzzle to be solved, that he didn't tend to think of the repercussions beyond that. But, the longer he spent in Konoha, the more he was being schooled in the world of the shinobi. So he decided to take Kakashi's not-so-subtle hint, and dropped his inquiries about Wolverine...for now, at least.

He noticed Kakashi tip his head back until he was looking up into the sky, and when he did the same, Daniel saw a hawk circling above them. The jonin let loose a long sigh, causing him to look toward the man once more.

"I'm afraid you'll have to walk the rest of the way on your own, Daniel. It appears that I'm late for an appointment."

"They sent a hawk to tell you that you're late? Isn't that a bit extreme?"

Kakashi chuckled. "Not exactly. The hawk means that I have four minutes to get to where I should be before they send an ANBU squad to fetch me."

Before Daniel could ask anything more, Kakashi lifted his hand in front of him and, a moment later, he disappeared in a spiral of smoke and leaves. He shook his head and continued his walk back to the village. He'd decided to head over to the Hokage's tower. If he couldn't physically visit the other villages for signs of Stargate technology, perhaps the Hokage would allow him to review records gathered by her shinobi in their visits to those places.

* * *

After climbing up the hundreds of steps that led to the top of this place's version of Mount Rushmore, Jack was feeling the burn in his leg muscles, not to mention his lungs. He should have known better than to ask that Nara kid about where he could find a quiet spot to fish. It seemed to be the kid's personal mission to make him exercise every chance he could.

First, it had been a request by Nara's dad to help feed the deer his family watched over. That had turned into carrying a series of very heavy bundles of feed. He'd been laughed at when he'd suggested they use a cart instead of hauling the stuff by hand, and once they'd gone deep enough into the forest he'd understood their reaction. They had to traverse areas that contained fallen trees, hidden pits, and boulders just to get to where dozens of does with their fawns were waiting for them.

Then was the invitation from that scrawny kid with the penchant for wearing green spandex and orange legwarmers. What was supposed to be a slow jog around the village felt more like an Iron Man triathlon. At the end of it, Jack was panting like a dog, while the kid didn't even look winded. It was enough to make him want to retire...again.

After four more impromptu exercise sessions, he'd sought out Shikamaru and explained to him that all he really wanted to do right now was find some quiet pond to sit back and fish at. After a moment or two, the kid had described what sounded like the perfect fishing hole, nestled within a grove of trees, where hardly anyone went nowadays. He'd even managed to scrounge up the needed fishing gear for him.

Now, as he desperately tried to pull in a full breath, he made a silent vow to get even with the boy. But first, considering he was at the top anyhow, he decided to find that pond and relax for a few hours. Heck, he deserved at least that much. He kept to the edge of the trees, just as Shikamaru had told him, until he saw the edges of a clearing. According to the kid, the pond should be just a few hundred feet beyond that area.

Jack had just decided to cut across the field instead of keeping to the edge, when he felt the ground rumble underneath his feet. He ducked behind the nearest tree and climbed up to hide within the branches just as all Hell broke loose in the clearing. The ground pushed up violently in the middle of the field, throwing clods of dirt and stones in every direction. And, of course, in the center of it all stood the Tree-frog, looking a bit worn around the edges. Leave it to the freak to ruin his one chance at relaxation since they'd gotten here.

After a few moments, three others appeared within the clearing, surrounding the Frog. He'd seen two of them inside the village before...he was pretty sure that he'd seen the tall blond man working in the local flower shop, and he knew for a fact that the dark-haired one with the scarred face was Shikamaru's dad. The remaining unknown one was enormous...easily dwarfing Kakashi in both height and girth...and had a wild mop of red hair. Each one of them was completed focused on the man in the middle, and they actually looked nearly as worn out as the silver-haired man. So, whatever it was that was going on, it was a pretty good bet that it had been going on for quite awhile.

Jack wasn't sure what the four of them might be waiting for, but none of them made a single move for a handful of minutes. Just when he was starting to get bored, chaos broke out below. The blond tossed a handful of needles toward Kakashi, while Shikamaru's dad held his hands up in front of him and...somehow...seemed to cause his shadow to come to life. That single shadow soon split into many, and those dark tendrils moved across the ground toward the Frog at the same speed as the needles. Kakashi sprang into the air a second before either attack could hit him, and Jack was sure that the kid had escaped them...until an enormous King-Kong-sized hand plucked him out of the air.

A quick glance to the remaining man in that strange group showed Jack that the mammoth hand belonged to the red-head. But that was the only part of him that had grown, and by the grin stretching across the features, it was clear that, indeed, Kakashi was trapped within that meaty fist. The three of them gathered together like a pack of school kids eager to see if they'd really caught themselves a frog.

Those fleshy fingers unfolded slowly, and Jack found himself leaning forward a bit to get a bird's eye view. What he saw, though, was an empty palm. Obviously the Frog had eluded his attackers after all. But, instead of disappointment or anger, the three men below were actually smiling.

"Did you enjoy the show, Colonel?"

Jack nearly jumped at the sudden voice in his ear. He knew that lazy-ass voice all too well, and he was about to curse Kakashi out for startling him, but he overbalanced himself when he had tried to turn on the branch. The next thing that he knew, he'd managed to slip backward into the air with his arms flailing wildly.

"Shit!"

He knew that, as far as last words went, he could have done better, but as he toppled ass-over-elbows toward the jumble of broken earth and sharp stone edges, he really couldn't worry about it. He tried to twist himself in the air in an attempt to lessen the damage that he was about to receive. So when he suddenly stopped far quicker than he'd expected, it took his mind a second to catch up.

He had landed in the very same enormous hand that had been trying to squash Kakashi moments earlier. As he was gently set back on solid ground, the red-haired man smiled at him, even as the over-sized body part reduced back to normal. The other two joined them, and it was clear that these men were closer to his own age than they were to Kakashi or Daniel's. Still, the look those two leveled at him made him feel like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Shikamaru's dad crossed his arms in front of himself. "Why are here, Colonel? It's danger."

Kakashi popped into view just to the side of them and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Your English is improving, Shikaku. If you truly want to learn the language though, you should spend more time with Daniel, instead."

While the dark-haired man grunted in reply, Jack fumed over what he was sure was an insult from the Kakashi. "What do you mean, why am _I_ here? _Your_ kid said I could find a quiet fishing hole up here. I'm starting to think that all of you freaks get a kick outta scaring the crap out of us!"

Kakashi gave him a long look before he turned toward the other three men and spoke to them in their own language. Jack was content to sit back and wait for them to address him again, but when heard Shikamaru's name spoken in anger by the blond-haired man, he couldn't help speaking out.

"Hey! Don't you _dare_ lay this one on Shikamaru. _I'm_ the one who pressured the kid into telling me where the best fishing hole was."

All four sets of eyes turned toward him. Two held the edge of amusement, one seemed confused, and one seemed downright pissed off. It was that last one...the blond...who turned toward Jack with a glare that rivaled Teal'c on a bad day.

He did his best not to shrink back from the man. "What are you staring at, Goldilocks?"

A smirk twisted the man's lips, and that was when Jack noticed the strange way that the guy was holding his hands. Before the word 'jutsu' had a chance to fully form inside his head, his vision went haywire. When it finally settled back down, it felt like he was seeing everything around him through some kind of filter. He tried blinking in an attempt to bring everything back in focus, but he found that he couldn't quite make his lids move.

This was not good. Nope. And when he felt his body turn toward where the shinobi were staring at him, he _knew_ that it hadn't been from anything _he'd_ done. That was when he noticed the blond slumped in the arms of the red-head. The next thing he knew, Kakashi was standing in front of him with a look in his eye that managed to send a chill down his spine. But it quickly became clear that it wasn't him that the Frog was pissed at.

* * *

Kakashi couldn't believe what he'd just witnessed. There was absolutely no reason for a mind-transfer jutsu being used on the Colonel. But it was, and now he needed to do damage control.

"_You've got until the count of three, Inoichi."_

He watched Jack's arms cross in front of him, a sure sign that Inoichi wasn't planning to vacate the body any time soon. Kakashi narrowed his eye at the man.

"_One..."_

He pushed his headband up to uncover Obito's eye. Still, the man's arms remained stubbornly crossed.

"_Two..."_

Kakashi opened the eye, feeding a bit more chakra into it and allowing the tomoe within it to begin a slow spin. A smirk pulled at the Colonel's lips, but the expression was obviously being forced by Inoichi, as it differed drastically from any such expression he'd seen on Jack's face before.

"_Three!"_

He fully activated the sharingan and pierced the veil between Jack and Inoichi's minds. With a precision born of decades of such actions, Kakashi managed to forcibly detach the Konoha jonin's hold on the Colonel. Then, in the instant that Inoichi was expelled from the man, he triggered another sharingan technique that neatly erased the entire experience from Jack's memory. He made sure to implant the need to continue on to the fishing hole, and used a delay in the method so that he would have time to return to the trio, and recover his eye, before Jack's full awareness was restored to him.

He watched as the Colonel blinked his eyes repeatedly, as though trying to clear his vision. Once he was certain that the man wasn't suffering any ill effects from his, or Inoichi's, meddling, Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets and let loose a long sigh.

"Don't worry, Colonel. No one will take this out on Shikamaru. Inoichi was simply voicing his concern that the boy didn't know that the field was in use."

He watched Jack's eyes narrow, as though trying to judge the truth in his words. Fortunately, he seemed to accept the explanation. "Well...that's alright then."

The man moved with purpose toward the tree he had previously been perched in and picked up the fishing supplies from near the trunk. With that, he headed toward the far side of the clearing, where the promised pond was located.

Kakashi waited until the man was fully out of view before turning toward Inoichi, letting the full force of his anger bleed out. _"What the hell was that? You could have hurt him!"_

Instead of Inoichi responding, Shikaku's voice cut through the icy silence. _"What better way to test your chakra control than to force you to use your sharingan on a civilian? It could have been executed cleaner, but the end results were all that mattered at the time."_

Kakashi stared at the trio in disbelief. It had all been a part of his test? He closed his eyes and let his shoulders sag. _"Well, at least I won't have to kill Inoichi. I guess that's something."_

Laughter surrounded him, and he opened his eyes to see two out of the three men smiling at him. Inoichi, however, was rubbing at his temples and had a pained expression on his face. Eventually the blond-haired jonin met his eyes.

"_You could have been a bit less brutal in your methods, Kakashi."_

That managed to sober the entire trio. Of course, what none of them realized was that this 'civilian' would never have managed to get over having someone else in his head. The Yamanaka's technique was far too similar to a Goa'uld takeover for him to be willing to leave one scrap of the memory in the Colonel's head.

He sighed. _"If you were anyone else, Inoichi, I would have left you incapable of much more than drooling."_

He let the silence grow between them before running his hands through his hair. _"So did I manage to pass your tests?"_

Choza laughed at that. _"You know that we have to report back to the Hokage before we can tell you that, Kakashi."_

"_In that case, there's shower with my name on it."_

Before the others could stop him, he performed a flawless teleportation jutsu that deposited him just outside his room. He leaned against the door with his head on his arm, a steady pressure in his sharingan warning of the migraine that was sure to arrive shortly. The test had taken far more out of him than he'd expected, so his only hope was that the next one wouldn't be for awhile. He desperately needed a rest.

Kakashi drew a slow breath in through his nose before pushing himself away from the door. He was just about to open his door when he found himself surrounded by a handful of ANBU. He slowly turned around to face them, hoping that he didn't look as tired as he felt.

"_Wolf, you are needed."_

Well, so much for a shower. He opened his door and stepped into the small room that he called home. He didn't bother closing the door, knowing the the ANBU would be following him in. Resisting the urge to sigh, Kakashi moved into his bathroom and pulled that door shut behind him. Once inside, he stripped out of his current uniform and kicked it into the corner near the tub. Something told him that he'd be adding quite a bit more dirty laundry to the pile before he'd be given a chance to rest.

Leaning over the sink, Kakashi released the hidden latch that allowed the mirror to slide to the right. He reached inside the revealed compartment and pulled out his official ANBU gear. The harsh bathroom light made the red markings of his wolf mask stand out all the more. It had been years since Wolf had been called to duty, and that fact alone showed him just how serious Tsunade was about testing his limits. He donned the uniform with practiced ease, securing his katana across his back, and a moment later, he rejoined those waiting for him. A single hand sign from Crow gave him the location that he'd need to transport to, and once he had lowered his mask in place, the entire group disappeared.

* * *

Sam sat across the worktable from Martouf and her dad and realized, even though they'd been at it for more than eight hours, that they were no closer to finding a way to prevent Madara from accessing the SGC again. The problem was that every diagnostic that they ran on what had occurred in the gate-room made it clear to them that his appearance, and disappearance, were actual dimensional manipulations. And any methods that they had come up with to block those manipulations would also block the formation of any wormholes as well.

Now, if they ever decided to shut down the SGC program completely, then they could put this plan into action, but as long as they still had teams off-world, they simply couldn't afford to do that. Which left them tired and frustrated, but no closer to a solution. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead onto the table with a groan.

"You okay, Sammy?"

Her dad's voice held the edge of exhaustion and concern, and she knew that he was at least as frustrated as she was in all this. She pushed herself upright and met his gaze with a forced smile.

"I'm fine, Dad. Just trying to find a way to keep Madara out, while still letting us continue to use the Stargate."

A heavy silence filled the room as the impossibility of their task weighed on them all. But then Martouf spoke, and it was like a breath of fresh air to them all.

"Perhaps we should stop trying to keep Madara out, but instead think of a way to contain him once he's here."

Sam pushed herself to standing. "That's it!"

She headed over to one of the side tables that were covered in piles of notes and journals that she had yet to find the time to organize. After pushing aside hundreds of documents she finally found the black and white composition book she'd been searching for. She turned back toward the others with a triumphant smile on her face, and held the book up for them to see.

She moved back to the table and flipped the book open to where Daniel's meticulous diagrams and neat script flowed across the pages. Pushing down her fear that she might never see the man again, she chose to share what they'd discovered in their research.

"Ever since we had witnessed the unwelcome side-effects of dimensional traveling on some of those who had come through the dimensional mirror, Daniel and I had been trying to come up with ways to keep them protected from molecular disturbances while in this dimension."

Her dad moved closer to look over her shoulder. "And how is that supposed to help, exactly?"

She couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "We weren't able to find a way to keep our dimension from effecting them, but we did end up creating a machine that can generate something similar to a bubble of energy that just might be enough to keep someone like Madara from being able to use his unique talent to leave once he's here."

"That's brilliant, Samantha." Martouf's face lit up with his smile. "When can we see the device?"

That knocked the wind out of her sail. "Unfortunately, with the recent cutbacks, we weren't able to go too much farther than theory. And, once the dimensional mirror was put into cold storage, the only mock-up that we had created was stripped down for spare parts a few months back."

Her father came and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, but it was Selmak who spoke. "I am sure that we can use your theories as a starting point, and we will be able to reproduce the device. It would be in the Tok'ra's best interest to ensure that this newest enemy can be contained as quickly as possible."

Sam sighed. "If it was up to me, I'd say let's do it. But this will have to go through General Hammond before we can start. And won't you need to contact the Tok'ra High Council as well?"

"As always, Samantha, you show wisdom beyond your years." Martouf stood and motioned toward the door. "Then we should present this idea quickly, so that we are all prepared for our next encounter with Madara Uchiha."

They all started toward General Hammond's office, eager to move forward with their plan. Still, Sam couldn't help worrying. After all, there was no guarantee, even if they were able to capture Madara, that that man would be willing to bring Daniel, Jack and Kakashi back to the SGC. But, at least for now, she'd hold out hope that things would all work out in the end.


	16. Results

Chapter 16

Results

Crow leaned back against the trunk of a tree and tried to catch his breath. This task was made more difficult by the fact that he had at least three broken ribs threatening to puncture his lungs if he breathed in too deeply. Frustrated, he pushed his ANBU mask to the side in an attempt to get just a bit more air into his body, and nearly choked on the thick smoke winding its way into the canopy of the tree he was in. He slid his mask back into place, using it once more as a partial barrier against the tainted air, and he wondered for the twentieth time that day just why anything connected to Kakashi Hatake seemed to go to crap. This thought was quickly followed by him wondering just why _he_ always seemed to get caught up in the jonin's drama.

The sound of a thousand birds flooded the area, and when Crow ventured a peek at the area below him, he saw the telltale blue and white-tinged energy streaking from place to place within the thick cloud of smoke. Within moments, he knew that Wolf, and his signature jutsu, had ended the battle, and soon a strong gust of wind swept through the area to clear the lingering smoke out of the way. What was revealed once that wind died down would likely have been horrific to the average shinobi, but ANBU had never been average shinobi.

He saw Wolf hunched in the center of at least two dozen bodies, each of which bore fist-sized holes where their hearts had once beaten. Meanwhile, the silver-haired man had his left knee on the ground and was leaning forward with his head bowed. It looked as though the man was having as much difficulty breathing as he was, and Crow wasn't sure if it was being caused by the smoke that had so recently dissipated, or from physical injuries. All that he was sure of at the moment was that the next time the Hokage asked for volunteers for an 'easy ANBU mission' he was going to make sure that he was far, far away.

Crow pushed himself away from the trunk and, with the flash of a hand sign, appeared next to Wolf just in time to catch the man as he started to tip to one side. The strain the movement placed on his own injured ribs was pushed from his mind as his attention focused on the man. He needed to figure out if this was just the normal signs of chakra depletion, or if it was something else. After all, Wolf was infamous for pushing himself to make one more Chidori than he should have if the odds were stacked against them. And considering his own current state, and the volume of the dead around them, it was clear that those odds were definitely higher than they'd expected in this battle.

He re-positioned the nearly unconscious man so that he could get a better assessment of his condition. Crow noticed the normal pattern of blood castoff that the Chidori always left behind stretching across the front of Wolf's uniform, and he was just about to chide the man for overdoing it again with his chakra when he noticed a _second_ pattern of crimson seeping down the side of the bone white chest guard. This one originated from just under Wolf's left armpit, and it was much thicker than the spray from his victims. And worse than that, the trickle of fluid was still running.

"_Shit!"_

Crow looked up from his charge and quickly located where the remaining members of their team were searching the bodies. A single hand sign was enough to bring Nightingale, their ANBU medic, to his side.

No words were exchanged between them, instead each of them fell into what had become routine over the course of the many years that they had worked together. Crow helped to remove Wolf's chest piece before they laid the injured man on his back. Still, no sound was uttered from any of them until the medic started to probe the deep gash just below her patient's arm. But even then, it was only the quietest of groans from behind Wolf's mask.

Crow watched as she deftly cleaned and treated the wound before laying the palm of her hand against the injury and infusing her chakra to get the bleeding to stop and the cut to pull shut. It wouldn't be fully healed by any stretch of the imagination, but it also wouldn't allow Wolf to bleed out during their return trip to Konoha. It still amazed him that Nightingale could do what she did without letting more than a small trickle of her chakra signature escape the confines of her palm. But that was to be expected with an ANBU medic. They weren't necessarily versed in every aspect of the healing arts, but they were masters at chakra control. After all, the last thing an ANBU cell needed, when they were injured and trying to make their way back to safety, was a bright flare of healing chakra to lead the enemy straight to them.

"_His bleeding is under control."_ The woman's gruff voice interrupted his musings. _"Now it's your turn."_

"_I'm fine."_

She shook her head at him. _"Right. So you're refusing to take a full breath just to save air? Stop being an idiot, and let me see your side."_

Crow frowned behind his mask before moving to comply with her demand. It was obvious, from the woman's bedside manners alone, that this had to be one of the Hokage's personally trained medics. But as her hands slid across his badly bruised skin, healing as they went, his opinion of her went up a notch. Once again, she hadn't fully healed him, but he no longer felt like he was risking a punctured lung if he took more than a shallow breath.

By the time she was done, the other members of their team had finished the task of searching the bodies of the attackers. Nightingale switched her attention to each of them in turn until all of them were deemed ready for travel. Now all that they needed to do was get the hell out of here before they inadvertently ran into any more groups of displaced shinobi.

Since the War ended, the occasional pockets of homeless genin and chunin had been popping up and causing hassles for travelers. However, this was the first time that he'd heard of any of these groups containing displaced jonin. But most of these men and women were definitely of that level, and obviously weren't of sound mind if they thought it was a wise idea to attack ANBU. He glanced at the pile of headbands that the others had gathered and he frowned. A few of them were marked with the Shinobi Alliance character, but the vast majority were from some of the smaller villages that hadn't been pressed to join the army. Unfortunately, the battles fought during the war hadn't paid any attention to whose land they were fighting on, and more often than not, those smaller villages paid the highest price.

Crow knew, based on his own memories of the Third Great Shinobi War, that it would be many years before any major aid could be offered beyond the known Hidden Villages. And in the interim, rogue bands would form and join forces until new villages rose from the ashes of those razed by this latest war. It was a hard truth to swallow, though, and it made him hope that the next Great War would wait until he had gone from this life before it began.

"_Did I get them all?"_

Wolf's voice held the edge of exhaustion to it. Crow gazed over to where the man was trying to sit up to get a better vantage point of the surrounding area. With a sigh, he moved to help his friend succeed at his attempt by sliding his arm around to support his back.

"_There were thirty when we started, and we've counted thirty bodies...most of which, it seems, you took care of."_

A quiet chuckle could be heard from behind Wolf's mask. _"If I'd known that you had wanted to handle them, I would have gladly left them for you."_

"_Right...that'll be the day,"_

Crow glanced over toward where the others were piling the deceased in preparation for them to be burned, and he sighed. _"I don't think the Hokage is going to like my report."_

"_Let me guess...I failed my test?"_

* * *

The set of Crow's shoulders, and the silence that met him, told Kakashi that the man hadn't expected his attempt at a joke. He pushed his Wolf mask to the side and rubbed at his temples, trying to keep his latest headache at bay. He knew that he'd been far sloppier than normal during this encounter, which explained how one of the enemy managed to get that lucky strike in under his arm. Still, if he hadn't pushed himself, there was every possibility that they all would have been in far worse shape than they were.

Crow's mask was slowly pulled off to the side as well, revealing the haggard expression on the special-jonin's face, even as he pulled a senbon out of his weapons pouch and slid it between his teeth with practiced ease. The man settled in front of Kakashi and frowned.

"_The Hokage never told us that this was a test."_

Kakashi let a low chuckle out. _"And that surprises you, Genma?"_

The man's frown turned into something closer to his normal smirk. _"I guess it shouldn't after all this time."_

Nightingale squatted next to them before they could continue their conversation. She reached over and pulled Kakashi's hands away from where he was still rubbing at his temples. Without a single word, she twisted his right wrist until his palm was facing up, and then she deposited three pills onto it.

Kakashi glanced down to see the dull red of a blood pill, and the vibrant green of a chakra-booster; both of which he had expected to help make him ready for the return trip to the village. But there was a third pill in his hand that had him baffled. In all the years that he'd been a shinobi, he'd never encountered this small, unassuming, dark purple pill. He turned his attention back toward the medic.

"_What's the little one for?"_

The small puff of a sigh from behind Nightingale's mask made it clear that she was losing patience with him. _"It'll make the trip go easier."_

Sometimes Kakashi hated dealing with medic-ninja, and this was definitely one of those times. They had a knack for supplying information while never actually answering his questions. Still, he knew that, even with taking the blood pill and the chakra booster, he was a long way from being in top form. And, considering that he'd been out of active ANBU service for a long time, he figured that there were probably a dozen _more_ pills around that he'd never seen before. With a slight shrug of his shoulders, he tossed the trio of pills into his mouth, and swallowed them dry.

Almost the moment that they were in his throat he felt his vision start to blur and his awareness try to slip away. He fought the reaction as much as he could, and was just able to make out Genma's panicked voice by his side.

"_What the hell's going on? I thought you said this would fix him up?"_

Kakashi had to concentrate even harder to hear Nightingale's muffled answer. _"I said it would make the trip go easier. I never said _who_ it would be easier on."_

As he was pulled deeper toward unconsciousness, he vowed to never trust a medic-ninja again, and to do his best to get even with a certain blond-haired Hokage.

* * *

Daniel sat across from the Hokage's personal aide at a table piled with stacks and stacks of files that he was allowed to look through in the hopes of finding some reference to Gate-technology. He'd been buried, nose-deep, in this research for long enough that his companion had fallen fast asleep and was, even now, softly snoring from the other side of the table. Memories of when Sam had fallen prey to similar exhaustion back at the SGC brought a sad smile to his lips. He wasn't sure what he and Jack would do if it turned out that they couldn't find a way back to their own dimension.

Actually, he figured that Jack would be happy to stay here if he could simply fish for the rest of his life. To hear the Colonel tell it, the fishing spot that Shikamaru had sent him to was a little slice of Heaven. He'd even gone so far as to say it was better than the one back home. So Daniel figured, that if the man was allowed to build a small cabin right there on the shoreline, he'd happily retire for real this time.

He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms over his head in an attempt to work the kinks out of his shoulders, while he mulled his own future through his mind. As an archaeologist he wasn't sure if he'd ever fit into life in a Hidden Village. Kakashi had already pointed out to him that his innate curiosity went against the very nature of the shinobi lifestyle. In fact, he was pretty sure that his questions had already garnered him the unwanted attention of several ANBU over the course of his stay here. Of course, this wasn't the first time that his curiosity had gotten him into trouble. He'd lost count of the number of times Jack had threatened to staple his mouth shut on one mission or another. And even General Hammond had lost patience with him a few times during his years at the SGC.

Daniel sighed as his thoughts shifted toward home, and he couldn't help but wonder how the others were holding up. Had Madara left them alone once the maniac had his hands on him, Jack, and Kakashi? Or had the madman damaged or destroyed the SGC before he'd joined them wherever the heck it was that he'd had them captive? And, of course, that line of thought brought him to wonder about how long it might take people as motivated as Sasuke and Madara seemed to be to track them down. Because Daniel was well aware that, although Madara wasn't entirely sane, his mind was as sharp as they came. And if the Leaf Village had found a way to bring them here, then didn't it make sense that it would only be a matter of time before the Uchiha found them as well? And didn't it also make sense that the possibility of the Goa'uld discovering them would increase too? For all they knew, Madara had lost whatever battle with his own Goa'uld had led him to send them away in the first place!

Daniel took his glasses off and pinched the top of his nose. It was obvious to him that he must be growing as tired as Shizune if his mind was following such non-productive paranoid thoughts. He put his glasses back on and let out a long sigh before he pushed himself away from the table with a groan. His muscles protested the movement, and his lower back decided to spasm when he twisted toward where a pot of strong tea was waiting, reminding him that he really hadn't worked out at all since this nightmare began. He limped over to where the pot sat, only to discover that it was empty.

"Figures. Now how do I stay awake?"

He glanced around the room to see if there was any other high caffeine item around and frowned. The only other liquid in sight was a half bottle of saké that Shizune had brought with her. And he knew from experience that the bitter liquid would only make him more tired. He turned back toward the empty pot, figuring that maybe he could find someone in the hall to refresh it, when he noticed a plume of steam flowing out of the spout. Along with it came the aroma of strong tea that he'd been hoping for in the first place.

A slow grin tugged at his lips. Perhaps the ANBU didn't hate him after all. He'd just finished pouring himself a cup, and was lifting it to his lips, when a loud voice bellowed from somewhere outside the room.

"_Shizune! Where the hell are you!?"_

Daniel stole a quick glance toward where the aide was still sleeping and chuckled at the fact that she'd hardly stirred during the ruckus. Obviously this wasn't the first time she'd experienced such a level of noise. Still, whoever was yelling didn't sound like someone to trifle with. He moved over to where Shizune was still quietly snoring and placed his hand on her shoulder to try and wake her.

He should have know better.

Although the woman's demeanor had seemed rather docile when she'd been awake, Daniel had forgotten one key piece of information...above all other things, Shizune was a shinobi. So, as he stared into her dark eyes, he could only hope that she was awake enough to recognize that he was _not_ the enemy, and that she really shouldn't release any of the rather lethal-looking darts from what looked to be a wrist holster. After more than a few tense moments, a handful of ANBU surrounded them. That single action seemed to snap the woman out of her fog, and she promptly lowered her weapons and bowed her head.

"_Forgive me, Daniel. I never meant to..."_

He gave a light chuckle, hoping that his fear didn't bleed through. _"Don't worry about it, Shizune. No __harm done."_

At that moment, the door flew open and all eyes moved to the frazzled looking man who stepped into the room. His dark hair stuck out in every direction, and he wore a swath of bandages across his nose. He bent over and placed his hands on his knees while he paused to catch his breath. After a moment, the man stood up.

"_Shizune, the Hokage sent me to fetch you."_

Daniel had to hold back a laugh at the way Shizune sighed while rolling her eyes. It was crystal clear that she was used to Tsunade's methods of calling her. When she turned back to him, she offered up a small smile before bowing to him.

"_I'm afraid our research session will have to end for now, Daniel. I will come find you once I am finished doing whatever it is that the Hokage needs."_

He glanced back at the piles of scrolls and books littered around the room. He knew better than to ask to continue without her. This particular section of the building was one of the more secure, and he knew that there was no way he could justify being left in here alone.

"_That's okay, Shizune. I was just thinking that I could use a break."_

She smiled at him and dashed out the door. With one last glance at the work table he sighed and turned back toward where the ANBU were waiting for him. _"I don't suppose any of you would be willing to show me to the closest book store?"_

The nearest ANBU tipped his head ever so slightly to the side. _"You intend to take a break from reading with more reading?"_

Daniel chuckled. _"Yeah, I know. Sounds crazy, right? But I wanted to check out a local author that was recommended to me by Kakashi. And now seemed like the perfect opportunity."_

The man who'd come to fetch Shizune took a step toward him and bowed. _"My name is Kotetsu Hagane, and if you'd like, I can lead you to the proper bookstore."_

He smiled and returned the bow. _"I am Daniel Jackson, and would greatly appreciate your help."_

With that decided, the ANBU disappeared, leaving him to Kotetsu. Once Daniel gathered his notes together, he followed the man out of the Hokage Tower and into the crowded streets of Konoha. He still received quite a few wary glances from the inhabitants of the village as they made their way through the winding streets, but every now and then he'd be greeted with a smile and a wave. He was just relaxing into the walk when his companion spoke up.

"_You do understand the kind of book that Kakashi normally reads, right?"_

Daniel held back a laugh. _"You mean porn, right?"_

He watched Kotetsu nervously rub at the back of his neck while a dusting of red colored his cheeks. _"Ah, well...yes. I guess I didn't think you were like him."_

He watched as the man seemed to get even more flustered and decided to put his mind at rest. _"I know __that Kakashi is rather fond of the Icha Icha series, but it is actually the earlier work of Jiraiya that he recommended to me. Perhaps you've heard of it; The Tale of the Gutsy Ninja?"_

Kotetsu let a comical burst of air out of his lips and ran the back of one hand across his forehead. _"That's a relief!"_

Daniel raised his eyebrow at that. _"Why a relief?"_

"_One rabid fan of porn in a village is more than enough!"_

The two shared a laugh and spent the rest of the walk sharing amusing tales from each of their pasts.

* * *

Every speck of research he and Sasuke found on the subject of successful symbiote removal led Madara to the Tok'ra. Apparently they are the ones that bear the knowledge needed to separate the parasite in his mind from him without causing any residual damage. And, more importantly, he already knew where he could find some of the supposedly elusive Tok'ra. There were more than a few of them holed up at the place where he'd acquired Hatake and the others. And even if they'd already left that place, he was certain that he'd be able to obtain a way to find them if he simply asked the right people...in the right manner, of course. And if they were not willing to share that information easily, well, he was sure that he'd be able to find the proper ways to make them even more cooperative.

Then all he'd need to do was convince the mercurial Tok'ra that he had no intentions of conquering their race. In fact, he planned to offer up the Goa'uld within him to them as payment for its removal. The information that they should be able to pull out of the ancient creature would surely be considered a fair trade all around. Then he could concentrate on returning to his personal pocket of space to check on his guests. After all, he didn't dare do so until this parasite was gone from his mind. It wasn't that he was concerned that the creature would succeed in it's attempts at taking him over...no...it was simply that he did not wish to allow them any more information on his capabilities than it had already gleaned up to this point.

"_How long do you expect me to wait, Madara?"_

He glanced across the room to where Sasuke was leaning against the wall with his arms folded and his ankles crossed. The lack of respect from this upstart was nearly intolerable, but he needed someone there to ensure no trickery occurred during the procedure he'd be undergoing. So he pushed down the urge to slap the boy and decided to let him in on his plans...within reason, that is.

"_As long as it takes, of course." _He saw the boy tense at his words, but he refused to give him the opportunity to complain. _"But that time is nearing, and once we have convinced the Tok'ra of the wisdom of doing what we need, then we can return to our original purpose."_

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, making it clear that he wasn't satisfied with his answer. _"And how can you be so sure that Kakashi won't have found an escape before you are ready?"_

Madara smiled at the fact that the boy was finally looking beyond just his lust for revenge. _"Because __the modifications I had made to the Goa'uld hand device allowed me to damage Hatake's chakra pathways to a point that he will be unable to form even a basic jutsu. And considering the man's Mangekyo technique requires massive amounts of chakra,he will be unable to escape his prison this time."_

He watched the dark-haired boy closely as he pondered the explanation. Eventually Sasuke pushed himself away from the wall and shoved his hands into his pockets before walking over to where Madara was sitting. After standing there in silence for nearly a minute, the moody boy finally spoke.

"_What can I do to get ready for this task?"_

Madara smiled as he motioned for Sasuke to take a seat across from him. _"Review these documents thoroughly. They are detailed accounts from some of the hosts that had the Tok'ra procedure done on them. Pay particular attention to any mention of how long the recovery process may have taken."_

"_How did you get these?"_

Madara laughed. _"Rāvana may have thought he could use me for his purposes, but I managed to learn about these stolen documents through one of the Goa'uld's many memories that he was unable to shield from me."_

"_I see. And what of these Tok'ra?"_

He smiled at the boy, glad to see he was beginning to involve himself completely in this mission. _"Once the parasite has been removed, and I have recovered sufficiently, we will remove the Tok'ra from the equation. Along with Rāvana."_

"_The parasite?"_

"_Yes. I have no intention of leaving that creature alive, It has melded into my being enough that, beyond it's knowledge of all things Goa'uld, it contains limited memories of mine that I am unwilling to allow anyone to discover."_

He tossed one of the many files over toward the boy. Sasuke caught it easily and flipped it open to the first page. Madara gave him a few moments to absorb the information before continuing.

"_As you can see, there are holding tanks in which the removed Goa'uld will spend a number of days in stasis after the procedure. This is meant to give the Tok'ra enough time to ready their equipment and staff for the information extraction, while eliminating the possibility of the parasite choosing to take it's own life or take possession of a new host."_

Sasuke looked up and met his eyes, _"You want me to locate the holding tank and introduce my lightning-natured chakra until the creature has expired."_

It was not a question...rather, it held the confidence that Madara had wanted from Sasuke since he'd first crossed paths with him. At last, the boy's genius was beginning to manifest itself for something other than blind revenge. Perhaps, once this phase of his plan was concluded, he might be willing to teach him how to further harness his sharingan to it's highest levels. It might even be enough for Sasuke to postpone his burning desire to destroy Hatake before Madara had extracted the answers that _he_ wanted to pull from the Copy Ninja. Regardless, he would need to make sure that he had the means in place to physically restrain the boy, just in case.

* * *

"_Seriously, Brat, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" _

Even though Tsunade had phrased it as a question, Kakashi knew better than to answer her. Instead, he did his best to look worthy of his Leaf headband – not to mention his ANBU mask; a task made all the more difficult as he was stripped down to his boxers and perched on the edge of yet another examination table. The Hokage shook her head at him before lifting his arm up until she could get a clear view of Nightingale's handiwork. As she stabbed her fingers into the tender flesh around the injury, he couldn't help flinching a bit.

A heavy sigh from Tsunade's lips, followed by her grabbing the clipboard from Shizune's hand and furiously writing on it, made Kakashi fear his for future for the first time since his return to Konoha. So, when she finally tossed the clipboard back to her aide and leveled her golden gaze in his direction, he found himself more nervous than he'd been since the day he took his jonin exam.

"_Give me one good reason why I shouldn't toss you through the nearest wall."_

Kakashi scratched at his ear before giving his boss what he hoped was a valid answer. _"You'd undo all of Nightingale's hard work?"_

He'd expected Tsunade to hit him. Or maybe toss him through the wall, as she had been hinting at. At the very least he expected another high-volume lecture about his need to take this more seriously. So when his answer was met with stony silence, Kakashi found himself even more worried. He did his best not to show it, of course, but he could feel a droplet of sweat making it's way down the side of his face, and thought for certain that those golden eyes surely had seen it as well. But still, she said nothing.

After what felt like much too long, the woman turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, leaving Kakashi confused. Did this mean that he was being cleared to do missions again, or was he being removed from the shinobi role altogether? And since when did Tsunade leave without making sure everyone knew exactly what was expected?

He was just about to yell out to her when he heard hear shouting back at them. "_Shizune! Make sure the Brat is dressed and in my office in twenty minutes!"_

A dramatic sigh from the dark-haired aide caused a smile to pull across Kakashi's lips. _"You heard her Kakashi. Time for you to get dressed."_

"_Any idea what she has in store for me?"_

Shizune looked down at the clipboard with a frown, and then back up at him concern in her eyes. She bit her lower lip and then placed his file next to him on the examination table.

"_I'm sure Lady Tsunade wouldn't want me to tell you, but if you should happen to discover it yourself...well..."_

He smiled at her while reaching over to review what the Hokage had added to his chart. It took him re-reading it four times before it finally sank in. He glanced back toward Shizune and saw she was watching him expectantly.

"_Is this meant to be a joke?"_

She picked up his ANBU uniform from where it had been laying and walked over to him. _"It's no joke."_

He rubbed at the back of his neck. _"There's no way that what she wrote is true."_

It wasn't until Crow lunged forward and took hold of the clipboard that Kakashi remembered that he and Shizune weren't the only ones in the room.

"_Oh, for Kami's sake, Kakashi! What's got you acting like a genin?"_

He didn't stop the man from taking the file because, quite frankly, he wanted to get another opinion on what the Hokage had written down. Crow's ANBU mask was slid to the side so that Genma could place a senbon in between his teeth as he read over the notes. It was clear to Kakashi that his comrade was having a hard time accepting the scrawled words, just like him. Eventually, the clipboard was reclaimed by Shizune and his uniform was laid on his lap.

As he almost mechanically pulled on the clothing, he directed his gaze toward Genma. The man was looking at him with wide eyes and the reaction made Kakashi nervous. _"Tell me that you think it's a joke, too, right Genma?"_

"_I don't know. I mean...it does seem like you've been able to do a hell of a lot more with your chakra lately without passing out. And let's face it, even with Nightingale's field treatment, that wound did heal up quicker than any of us would have expected. Hell, the Hokage didn't even need to do anything more once we got you here."_

Kakashi frowned. He'd figured Tsunade had healed him before bringing him back to consciousness. Evidently he was mistaken. _"Maybe it was that purple pill Nightingale gave me?"_

Shizune clutched the clipboard to her chest. _"Sorry, but that was just a new knock-out drug that I created for ANBU use."_

"_That might be. But that doesn't mean it can be ruled out for this, right?"_

Genma sighed. _"Okay. I agree that the pill has a tiny chance of explaining the healing. But it doesn't explain it all. What about how you're able to do more with your chakra, hmm?"_

Kakashi scowled. _"Fine. But there has to have been words other than 'Jinchuuriki-like' that she could have used."_

The sound of Shizune trying to stifle a laugh drew his attention. He narrowed his eyes and couldn't quite keep the venom out of his words. _"Just what is so funny?"_

Her laughter died down, but she couldn't quite keep the smile off her lips when she responded. _"Would you rather that the Hokage had written 'Naruto-like' in her notes?"_

Now Genma was laughing, which of course set Shizune off once more. Kakashi finished putting his uniform on headed for the door. He paused at the door when Genma called out to him.

"_Hey! Even you have to admit that was funny."_

He shook his head and continued out the door.

"_Kakashi! Where are you going?"_

This time he stopped and glanced back over his shoulder. _"I have the sudden urge to be on time."_

With that said, he raised his hand into position and triggered his teleportation jutsu.


	17. Rumors and Discoveries

Chapter 17

Rumors and Discoveries

Kakashi walked through the crowded streets of Konoha with both of his hands shoved deep into his pockets. He'd spent the better part of the last week being poked and prodded and run through every test known to man only to have no more answers than he'd had a week before. No one could find a single valid reason for how he was suddenly exhibiting traits which, up to now, had only ever been categorized as the side effects of carrying a demon within. After he had read Tsunade's notes on his chart after that last ANBU mission he'd been certain that the woman had simply been joking. But now, after being wide awake during the many practical tests the medical staff had performed on him, he was starting to understand just why the Hokage had phrased it the way she had.

Although, in his opinion, he'd healed at a much slower rate than someone like Naruto, he'd had to admit to himself that it was still far quicker than any other shinobi in the Konoha forces. Add to that the fact that his jutsu were far less taxing to his chakra stores than they'd ever been in his life, and it was no wonder that there were whispers of an other-wordly possession being to blame for it all. And those whispers were no longer just heard within the halls of ANBU, or in the Hospital. No, they now followed him throughout the streets of the village, reminding him far to clearly of similar whispers in the months following his father's death, and then again after losing Obito during the Kanabi Bridge mission. All in all, it left him feeling on edge more often than not. And when Kakashi was on edge, he needed something to distract him, for the safety of everyone around him.

Normally he'd find a quiet spot and immerse himself into one of the many Icha Icha volumes in his possession, but lately Jiraiya's tales did nothing to calm his frayed nerves. Meanwhile, Gai was out of the village on an extended mission, so there was no hope for an impromptu challenge to save him either. He'd already run through every basic kata he knew, plus a handful that he'd made up on the spot, but with strict orders from the Hokage to not use any of his chakra until they sorted his 'issues' out, he was officially out of ideas.

"_Oi! Kakashi!"_ Genma's voice rang out from the rooftop. _"Need some help here. You available?"_

He looked up to see the man dressed in his normal jonin uniform, with his senbon dangling from between his teeth. This was exactly the type of distraction he needed. He was just about to channel a bit of chakra to his feet to join the special jonin on the tiled roof when a warning tingle up his spine made him frown. Tsunade had made sure to place a special seal on him that would provide the not-so-subtle reminder to keep him from using his chakra. He sighed and slouched a bit further in frustration, stepping forward to continue his walk. His friend jumped down to street level once he'd figured out that Kakashi wasn't going to join him above.

"_Since when do you pass on helping me out?"_

He sighed._ "Since the Hokage put me on a shorter leash than usual."_

"_Give me a break. You're still the same lazy-assed, pervert that you've always been."_

Kakashi turned to face his friend. _"Gee...thanks for the vote of confidence."_

Genma frowned at him. _"Dammit, Kakashi...that's not what I meant! All I'm saying is that they're insane if they think that you aren't loyal to Konoha just because you heal faster than the rest of us."_

Now it was Kakashi's turn to frown. _"When did this become a question of my loyalty?"_

"_Shit! You mean you didn't hear about it yet?"_

He shook his head and started walking once more, knowing that Genma would soon fall in step with him. Once they were in a slightly less populated portion of the village, Kakashi side-stepped into an alley and waited for the special jonin to join him. Once the other had stepped into the area, he'd grabbed hold of the man's vest and pushed him up against the wall.

"_Who is spreading lies this time?" _It came out as more of a growl than he'd intended, and once it registered in his head, he quickly released Genma and hung his head. _"Sorry about that. Guess I'm more on edge than I'd thought."_

"_Hey, I'd probably do the same thing if I was in your shoes."_

Kakashi raised his head and sighed. _"So fill me in. What's the rumor, and who started it?"_

He watched Genma scratch under the edge of his bandana, obviously not wanting to speak about it. But after a few awkward moments the man sank into a crouch and leaned his head back against the wall. Realizing that this meant he probably wasn't going to like what he was a bout to hear, Kakashi crossed over to the same wall and slid down next to his friend. A few more moments went by before Genma finally spoke.

"_You know that none of us believe any of it, but it's just too far-fetched not to want to hear it...or tell it to others, for that matter."_

Kakashi leaned his head against the wall. _"Great. So it's already made the shinobi gossip chain."_

"_Yeah, sorry. Anyhow, like I said, nobody really believes it. It's just that when somebody says that the great Copy Ninja was abducted by aliens and implanted with a demon that now controls what he thinks and says, you just can't help but listen to the tale."_

A humorless laugh escaped Kakashi's lips. _"Well, they do say that the best rumors always have at least two-third's of the truth in them."_

He felt Genma's eyes on him and turned to see a look on the man's face that was somewhere between doubt and concern. _"Are you saying that these rumors are close to the truth?"_

Kakashi had to be careful about how he phrased his response, knowing that he was walking a dangerously thin line between telling his friend the truth, and going against the Hokage's orders to keep this all classified. Still, considering Genma's clearance was far higher than most in the village, it wasn't as great a risk as it could have been. He kept his gaze locked on the man's eyes and spoke words that even he couldn't believe were true.

"_I _was_ abducted and implanted, but I managed to destroy the creature before it did more than change my hairstyle."_

He watched Genma's eyes narrow to slits, likely a result of him trying to tell if this was just a joke or not. So Kakashi turned his body away from his friend and pushed the hair at the nape of his neck out of the way. He heard the air pushed through Genma's teeth, and he knew that the man was looking at the rather nasty scar that had been left behind by the Goa'uld. Although not his largest scar by any stretch of the imagination, he knew that the mass of scar tissue was more than enough to give the man an idea of just what he'd gone through.

"_Damn, Kakashi! That had to hurt. Couldn't Lady Tsunade get rid of the scar?"_

He self-consciously rubbed his gloved hand across the knot of skin, and turned back around to face the jonin. _"It goes too deep to ever heal fully. Let's just say that it'll be a long time before I forget this particular captivity."_

"_Okay, so that much was right...you were abducted. But seriously...you don't expect me to believe it was aliens, do you?"_

He crossed his arms in front of him and shrugged. _"I suppose that would depend on your definition of 'alien.'"_

Genma just stared at him for a moment before he seemed to realize that Kakashi was actually waiting for him to provide his definition. _"Right...'alien.' How about this; an entity from another world. That should wipe out the rumor mill once and for all."_

Kakashi scratched at his temple. _"That would be right."_

A huge smile crossed Genma's lips. _"I told them it was all a pile of crap! Glad to know I was right."_

"_Mah...I think that you misunderstood me. Maybe I should have said; That would be right. It was aliens." _

He curled his eye into a smile and had to hold back a laugh as Genma's jaw opened wide enough that his senbon actually fell from his mouth.

* * *

Daniel reread the scroll three times before he allowed himself a glimmer of hope. But the characters hadn't changed, and the meaning was clearly what he'd been searching for all these long days. Deep in the mountains of Snow Country sat a cave where the local shinobi found a ring of stone carved with unknown characters.

Still, he couldn't help but think that he was just setting himself up for disappointment. The writings he uncovered didn't have any examples of these unknown characters. And, even if this did turn out to be a Stargate, there was no mention of a DHD anywhere in this account. On top of that, what if he got to this location and there was no power source to drive the mammoth stone rings? It wouldn't be the first time that he and Jack would have run into such a thing, but this time there was no naqahdah generators or staff weapons to tap into.

Looking across the table at where Shizune was once again catching a much-deserved nap, Daniel pushed his fingers through his hair before staring down at the notes he'd taken. What worried him more right now was the fact that, even if they found a fully powered gate, it still wouldn't get them back to their SGC. He had to accept that this was not his dimension. The only thing that this latest finding brought him was the hope that if they confirmed the existence of a gate in Snow Country, then maybe, just maybe, it meant that a dimensional mirror might exist somewhere too. And if he was to be completely honest with himself, that truly was the only way he and Jack would find their way home.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of angry voices in the hallway. And, unfortunately, he recognized one of those voices all too well. Daniel moved to the door and opened it in the hopes of ending the tirade before it grew in volume to be loud enough to wake the Hokage's aide.

"There you are, Danny! I told these idiots you were in there."

He sighed and stepped out into the hall, pulling the door closed behind him, and hopefully securing Shizune a few more moments of sleep. He found Jack being physically restrained by the ever-present ANBU guard for this room.

"I don't supposed you happened to use their language when you told them that, Jack?"

The Colonel looked between the ANBU and him before frowning. "You can't tell me these masked freaks haven't figured out what we're saying yet."

Daniel shook his head slowly and moved over to where the man was still being held in check. "Seriously, Jack, sometimes I wonder how you've managed to survive this long."

He turned his attention toward the ANBU and bowed slightly before speaking. _"I'm sorry if my friend caused any problems for you. If you will let him loose, I will take him back to our rooms."_

Silence reigned for more than a few heartbeats. Even Jack seemed to understand that he needed to stay quiet for a change. Still, when the low voice came from behind the tiger masked ANBU, it startled him just a bit.

"_Your friend has not learned his place, Daniel. You will not be there one of these times."_

He glanced up to see that they hadn't released Jack yet. But, although the words spoken would have been taken as a threat by the very man they were talking about, Daniel knew it as the warning it was. He stood up and faced the ANBU.

"_Thank you for your concern. I will try, once more, to remind him that we are guests here."_

At that point the two guards let the Colonel loose, and for a change Jack didn't make a scene about it. Instead, he took hold of Daniel's arm and started pulling him toward the stairs that led out of the tower.

"Come with me, Danny, and we're halfway home!"

He tugged his arm free, nearly causing Jack to stumble down the stairs. "Jack, stop it! I need to get back to work!"

"Aren't you listening to me? You can stop searching through that crap. I'm pretty sure that I found us a way outta this place."

Daniel frowned and took a closer look at the Colonel. The man's clothes were disheveled, and his hands were filthy. "What's gotten in to you, Jack?"

He watched the man push his hands through his hair and place a lopsided grin on his face. "You must be wearing off on me."

Daniel took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose to try and push back the headache that always seemed to follow having discussions with the older man. "You're making no sense. But I take it that you aren't going to just let me go back to my work until you show me whatever the hell it is that you're so excited about. Am I right?"

Before Jack had a chance to answer, one of the ANBU flickered into view next to where they were. _"Shizune wanted to know if you are done for today."_

He sighed and put his glasses back on. _"Please offer my apologies to her. It appears my afternoon will be spent with Colonel O'Neil."_

A simple nod of the ANBU's head and he disappeared as suddenly as he'd appeared. Daniel turned back toward Jack just in time for the man to grab hold of his arm again and pull him toward the stairs once more. Rather than waste his breath asking for any details, he concentrated on not breaking his neck as they careened down the flight of stairs. Thankfully the various people in the way had enough sense to move to the side before Jack could do more damage, and before he knew it, they were out of the tower and running at breakneck speed toward the outskirts of the market district, dodging puddles from a rainstorm earlier in the day.

He'd never seen the Colonel like this before. Usually the man was relatively level-headed. Okay, maybe not level-headed, but certainly not this...boisterous. Daniel frowned. Perhaps Kakashi had been right when he'd warned that Jack shouldn't spend too much time with Rock Lee or Gai. Because, let's face it, those two were the only ones in this village that he'd ever seen wearing the strange grin that seemed plastered to the older man's face.

Before he could put too much more thought into it, Jack skidded to a stop in front of a wall that was overgrown with vines and moss. It was such a change from the neatly kept buildings that he'd grown used to within Konoha that, for a moment, he thought that they'd actually run to another village. But when he took a closer look behind some of those vines he saw the familiar swirling lines that made up the insignia that graced the headbands of every shinobi in the village. He was about to pull his hand away when a glimpse of faded red paint caught his eye. His curiosity piqued, Daniel pushed a bit more of the leafy green away until he uncovered another symbol painted onto the wood. This one looked like nothing he'd seen up to this point. It seemed to be a stylized round paddle fan. The upper third was red, while pale white paint was chipping off the bottom section.

"I didn't bring you here to look at the wall. What you need to see is in there." Jack was pointing with his thumb toward large wooden gates set within the walls.

Daniel moved closer and saw that those gates held the same faded fan symbols, only much larger. He tipped his head back and marveled at the height of the gates, curious about just what might lie behind them. But there were large crossbeams securing them in place.

"You coming?"

He turned his head at the sound of Jack's voice to see the man holding a loose plank aside that had previously been hidden by the overgrown vines. "Seriously, Jack? This is how you've been spending your days? Trespassing?"

The man smiled at him. "You're the one who told me to find something to keep me busy. C'mon, already."

With that said, the Colonel ducked into the opening and the plank fell back into place behind him. Daniel cast a wary glance around him, but this area was eerily empty. It only took him a moment longer to allow his curiosity to convince him that he really needed to see just what could make Jack O'Neil act so...so...un-Jack-like. Once he made up his mind, it was child's play to find the loose plank and follow through the opening. That was when everything turned a bit surreal.

Jack stood in the middle of an empty street. Each side was lined with shops and houses that looked like they hadn't seen life in far too long. Faded flags and pendants hung limply from poles and rafters; each bore that same round fan that was emblazoned on the gates. There were clumps of grass pushing their way through the cobblestones lining the street, and the same type of vines that had covered the entry gate were silently staking their claim on each and every vertical surface he could see. It was strange to see such complete desolation in such a vibrant village as Konoha, and Daniel felt that he and Jack were somehow trespassing on sacred ground.

"Over here, Danny! Come on!"

The words nearly echoed through the empty street, adding to the feeling that this was somehow wrong, and so Daniel moved quickly to the man's side, if for no other reason than to keep him from disturbing that silence again. Surprisingly, Jack didn't enter any of the buildings. Instead, he led him down a narrow alleyway until it reached a dead end. The buildings on either side were tall enough to block out most of the day's light, but there was still enough to see Jack step through a gap in the wall. Taking one last look toward the vacant street, he pushed down his uneasiness and followed into the gloom to find a narrow stone staircase leading down into the unknown.

The passageway felt eerily familiar to many of the Goa'uld strongholds from Daniel's past, especially when he passed one after another flickering torches mounted to the wall. He expected to run into Jaffa at any moment, but none appeared by the time they'd reached the bottom step. A banner emblazoned with that same fan design was on the wall directly in front of them, and a long corridor stretched off to either side. He was about to head down the hallway to the left when Jack's hand on his shoulder caused him to pause.

"Not much down that one except some writing on the wall and a couple of candles. We need to go the other way."

He followed the Colonel silently, but after they turned down two more corridors, his curiosity was too great to ignore. "Jack, how did you even find this place?"

"I was on my way back from one of my fishing trips. It was raining. I was cold and wet. I stumbled on a cave stuck out in the woods and ducked into it for shelter."

Daniel shook his head. This wasn't making any sense. "How does you ducking under cover lead you to this part of the village?"

Jack turned to face him with a grin plastered on his face. "You're the one who keeps telling me that anyone making a place like this always has more than one way out. It just so happens that it led into that alleyway upstairs."

He stayed silent for a moment as he ran his friend's words through his mind. He chuckled and shook his head at the Colonel. "You got lost, didn't you? That's how you found this exit."

The frown on the man's face gave Jack away long before his words could. "You just couldn't let me have my moment, could you?"

Daniel laughed and walked toward the hallway the Colonel had pointed out earlier. "Don't worry about it. I promise not to tell anyone. So what exactly did you find?"

A grin soon replaced the frown, and Jack moved to his side. "Hopefully our way home, Danny."

With that said, he was led toward an alcove about a hundred feet down the hallway. When the contents of the alcove came into view Daniel couldn't believe what he was seeing. Standing within the recess was a dimensional mirror in all its glory. A grin, very similar to the one still plastered over Jack's face, now graced his lips as well. He stepped closer, taking a moment to wipe his palms on the legs of his pants. Then he reached out to run the tips of his fingers along the top of the device, avoiding the surface of the mirror as he examined the Goa'uld markings etched into the frame. Even though this device was not switched on, as was evident from the darkness of the mirror, he didn't want to press his luck and be pulled into some other dimension.

"So is it what I think it is?"

The hope that he could hear in the Colonel's voice was undeniable, and he turned back to face the man who'd managed, in one aimless moment, to find exactly what he'd been searching for days for in the archives at the Hokage Tower. He was just about to confirm it for him when he noticed the hallway just behind Jack had filled with shinobi. Most of them were ANBU, but a few were dressed in what Daniel had come to recognize as jonin uniforms. One of those men stepped forward and shoved his hands into the pockets of the trench coat he wore over his uniform. Dark eyes narrowed below the bandana tied , making the man's severely scarred face look even more sinister in the shadows of the torchlight.

Daniel lifted his hands up in the universal sign of surrender and took a step back. It was clear by Jack's expression that he'd figured out that they were no longer alone, and thankfully, the man had enough sense to join him in front of the mirror. Once he turned around as well, his hands were held in a similar position even as he whispered toward him.

"What the hell's going on, Daniel?"

"I don't know. Maybe we tripped some kind of alarm?"

"It is time for you and me to have a talk, Daniel Jackson."

The English words were spoken with a thick accent, and it only took a moment for him to realize that he'd heard this man speak before. Of course the last time he'd heard the voice it had been muffled by an ANBU mask. If his suspicions were right, this was none other than the head of the T & I division. And although this knowledge did nothing to ease his anxiety, Daniel swallowed down his growing apprehension and bowed slightly to the man towering before them.

"As you wish, Ibiki. I'm sure this will all just turn out to be a misunderstanding."

* * *

Jack had to admit that the gaggle of freaks standing in the hall was enough to make even him a bit on edge. But the walking pile of scar-tissue that was currently intimidating Daniel was getting on his last nerve...especially after hearing what the kid had just said.

"You're not going anywhere with that guy, Daniel. No way in Hell!"

To emphasize his point, Jack stepped in front of his friend and glared at the man in the trench coat. He made it a point to never trust anyone who dressed like an extra from a Terminator movie, and he sure as hell wasn't gonna start now. He just wished he still had his P-90 to even the score a little.

"Jack, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind?"

He glanced over his shoulder and met Daniel's eyes. "You're not going with him. Not now...not ever. See if you can get that thing working already!"

The shock showing in the man's eyes would have made him laugh under other circumstances, but he ignored the look and turned his attention back toward the hallway. None of the freaks had moved an inch, and he wondered just what their game-plan was. He knew that he was grossly outnumbered and, unfortunately, outclassed, but the way they kept interfering every time they'd managed to find something that might lead them home was starting to get on his nerves. And as anyone who knew him could tell, he was finally at his limit.

Keeping his eyes on the crew in front of him he asked Daniel for an update. "So was I right about it?"

"Yeah, it's definitely what we were looking for, Jack..."

Something in the tone of the kid's voice made him recognize there was more. "But...?"

A sigh proceeded the next words. "But there's no sign of the controller. And without it, it would be too dangerous to use. I'm sorry, Jack."

Dammit. He should have known this wouldn't work out. So now he'd have to deal with whatever was in store for them, knowing it was entirely his fault for not thinking to check for the damn remote before going to get Daniel in the first place. And, if he was in the freaks' place, they'd probably be confined to a room again and never given access to the mirror again. He let out a frustrated puff of air and shook his head as Daniel moved to his side.

"You will both come now."

The thickly accented words left little room for argument, and the pleading look he got from Daniel made it clear that his rebellion was at an end. "Fine."

A subtle movement of the Terminator's head was all that was needed to direct his goon-squad to take them both into custody. Sure, they weren't put into handcuffs, or anything like that, but with two of them stationed in front and behind of both him and Daniel, it was clear to him that their relative freedom of movement throughout the village had been taken back. Still, considering they could have done much more, he grudgingly had to admit that it could have been worse.

* * *

When Ibiki received word that someone had accessed the deserted Uchiha complex he just knew that he'd end up with a headache before all was said and done. Then, when the ANBU team assigned to keep tabs on the Colonel reported back to him that the man went into a cave during a rainstorm and had yet to reemerge, the promised headache made its presence known through a pressure building at his temples. And finally, when word reached his ears about the Colonel miraculously appearing in the Hokage Tower and pulling Doctor Jackson into a wild run through the Market District it didn't take him long to put all the pieces of this puzzle together.

He had quickly assembled a group of ANBU and jonin and headed toward the Uchiha complex. As usual, upon reaching the deserted streets, he had to push down the feeling that they were being watched. He knew that the entire area was devoid of life, having been one of those unlucky enough to have been assigned to clear out the bodies of the slaughtered Uchiha clan all those years ago. Still, something about this area always made him think that some of the spirits of those taken before their time might still be inhabiting these desolate streets.

"_Over here, Sir." _

One of the rookie jonin was pointing to a narrow opening between two of the larger buildings within the complex. And, once he'd joined the dark-haired man, it was clear to see what he'd discovered. The plant-life that was steadily laying claim to the road around them was noticeably trampled just in front of the alleyway. Giving the jonin a grunt of approval, Ibiki motioned for the ANBU to take point and enter the darkened space.

As they moved down the length of the passageway, they could all notice the faint glow coming from an area off to the left side. Ibiki frowned. He knew the men which had combed every crevice of this place after Itachi had slaughtered the clan, and he was certain that they would never have missed this entry. Which meant that it must have been concealed in some way back when the initial searches were performed. And, now that he was thinking about it, it could explained just how Itachi had managed to disappear from the village without a trace as well.

Still, it worried him more than a bit that such a place had been lying under Konoha without anyone else knowing about it. How many other clans might also have similar catacombs on their lands? And how might they discover such places without causing those same clans from feeling oppressed or otherwise targeted? Because, when it came down to it, the last thing he wanted to do was create the type of tension that had driven a wedge between the Uchiha and the remainder of Konoha.

At a silent surge of chakra from the ANBU that went down first, the rest of the group followed, knowing that the way was safe. At the bottom of a set of stone steps Ibiki sent half the group to the left and the rest, himself included, down the right hallway. Before they'd gone more than a few hundred feet the sound of soft voices could be heard, and once he recognized who exactly had managed to discover this hidden area, his headache doubled. How, by Kami, did two civilians manage to uncover something like this? Obviously there was more to these two men then any of them had thought...with the exception, perhaps, of a certain silver-haired thorn in his side. Perhaps when this was finished he'd pay a visit to the Copy-ninja to see what else he may have forgotten to share about these visitors.

Once he saw that the two men noticed they were no longer alone, he stepped forward from the group, shoving his hands deep into his pockets. He narrowed his eyes as the foreigners lifted their hands into a neutral position. The two were whispering to each other, and Ibiki was frustrated at the fact that he didn't quite understand all the words they had used. Which, of course, would be one more reason the bring Kakashi into his office. He drew in a slow breath and pushed unfamiliar words out of his lips.

"It is time for you and me to have a talk, Daniel Jackson."

He was sure that he had pronounced the cumbersome words correctly, and was pleased to see that the younger of the two men seemed to understand him. That is, until that same man spoke.

"As you wish, Ibiki. I'm sure this will all just turn out to be a misunderstanding."

He knew that no one under his command had told the Doctor his name, and based on the last conversation on the subject that he had overheard between the younger man and Kakashi, it had been clear that the silver-haired man had no intention of sharing that bit of information either. So how, exactly, had his name suddenly become common knowledge?

Before he could worry too much about it, the other man stepped between him and Doctor Jackson. The tone of the words from the Colonel's lips made his anger clear even without Ibiki understanding every word. There was a moment when he considered knocking the fool out to make this easier for him, but the other man's voice held a fear in at as he questioned his friend's move, causing him to decide to watch for a bit longer before making his next move.

Ibiki allowed the two to continue whatever it was that they were doing, and a few more moments resulted in disappointment radiating off the pair. He was not surprised in the least once the two faced him with defeat reflecting in their eyes. He lifted his head slightly and spoke a few more words that he'd learned in the past few weeks.

"You will both come now."

The look of resignation on the older man's face made it clear that Ibiki shouldn't be having any more difficulty with the two. He let them pass him into the hallway, making sure to keep them centered within his men as they moved to return to street level. Once there, he sent one of the ANBU to inform the Hokage of this development, and another to bring the Copy-ninja back to Headquarters. Before he started the interrogation there were several questions he'd need answered by the elite jonin. And, beyond that, as much as he hated to admit it, he'd need to rely on that man to act as translator.

The remainder of the shinobi that weren't directly guarding these men were sent back down into the newly discovered catacombs to begin the task of exploring and cataloging of every nook and cranny. If he was very lucky, he'd have enough time to pop a few pills to ward off his headache before having to deal with Kakashi and these two civilians. But the way today was going, he didn't count on it.


End file.
